community policing
Read more about the article Results of defunct Urbana Community Alternative Policing program a mystery; racial disparity reports no longer accessibleKing School
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, the site where Urbana Community Alternative Policing committee meetings were held.

Results of defunct Urbana Community Alternative Policing program a mystery; racial disparity reports no longer accessible

UCAP was intended to be a catalyst for the community policing program. It no longer exists and there doesn’t seem to be a community policing program for northern Urbana, north of W. University Avenue and west of N. Broadway Avenue, or any other part of Urbana.

Continue ReadingResults of defunct Urbana Community Alternative Policing program a mystery; racial disparity reports no longer accessible
Read more about the article Hiring shortages an obstacle for policing amidst increasing gun violenceDarrell Hoemann
Looking south to the Champaign Police Department Building on First Street. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Hiring shortages an obstacle for policing amidst increasing gun violence

Several months after addressing increasing gun violence in a community update, a new report on hiring reveals the Champaign police force is understaffed. Urbana and University of Illinois police are experiencing some shortages, but have significantly less unfilled positions.

Continue ReadingHiring shortages an obstacle for policing amidst increasing gun violence
Read more about the article Majority of Champaign and Urbana police live elsewhere; Effect of non-residency on community policing debated nationallyDarrell Hoemann
The window for the Urbana Police Department office inside the Urbana City Hall on Thursday, September 4, 2014. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Majority of Champaign and Urbana police live elsewhere; Effect of non-residency on community policing debated nationally

The vast majority of police staff members in Champaign-Urbana don't live in the cities they serve. Local and national experts attempting to unravel community policing solutions see residency as one more piece of the puzzle, but other factors may turn out to be more important for the community's residents.

Continue ReadingMajority of Champaign and Urbana police live elsewhere; Effect of non-residency on community policing debated nationally
Read more about the article Champaign and Urbana police struggle to diversifyDarrell Hoemann
Looking south to the Champaign Police Department Building on First Street. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Champaign and Urbana police struggle to diversify

In 2014, the police staff in Champaign was 88% white and Urbana’s police staff was 84% white, CU-CitizenAccess reported at that time. Almost seven years later, those numbers are virtually unchanged, despite pledges by both cities to diversify their police forces.

Continue ReadingChampaign and Urbana police struggle to diversify