On any given night in Campustown, it’s not uncommon to see a UIPD cruiser weaving through traffic on Green Street. The blue and red lights aren’t always flashing, but their presence is unmistakable — part of a broader shift in campus policing over the past few years.
Since October 2022, UIPD has taken over primary patrol responsibility for the Champaign side of campus. The area — home to bars, high-rise apartments and dense foot traffic — was previously under the Champaign Police Department’s jurisdiction. At the time, UIPD only responded to major emergencies or in-progress calls.
Now, the department handles everything from theft reports to wellness checks, leading to a sharp increase in call volume.
“Calls for service in 2021 were around 12,000 compared to 21,000 for 2024,” wrote UIPD Captain Jason Bradley in an email to The Daily Illini. “Calls for service have gone up significantly, not just because of the jurisdiction change, but the increasing residential population and student enrollment as well.”
According to UIPD’s 2022-2023 annual report, the most common reports include theft, traffic incidents and alcohol violations. While violent crimes were rare, the department responded to several reports of aggravated battery, robbery and sexual assault.
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To meet increased demand, UIPD has added civilian Community Service Officers to help with property crime investigations. It also expanded its Community Outreach and Support Team. The team operates out of a substation on Green Street and focuses on proactive engagement.
Another pillar of the department’s approach is REACH — short for Response, Evaluation and Crisis Help. REACH is a co-responder model that pairs officers with licensed social workers to respond to mental health emergencies.
“We could not be happier with the way that REACH has enhanced our ability to respond to mental health crises on campus,” Bradley wrote. “With this program, our community can talk to a trained practitioner in person, in their own space and during hours where other services are not traditionally available.”
According to department policy, officers first secure the scene before social workers engage with the individual. They assess appropriate next steps, such as safety planning, referrals to counseling or follow-up care.
Communication is another key aspect of public safety. Students often ask why some incidents trigger campus-wide alerts while others don’t. Under federal Clery Act regulations, the University is required to issue Campus Safety Notices for crimes that pose an ongoing threat. Illini-Alerts, on the other hand, are for immediate emergencies.
“Campus Safety Notices may be a series of burglaries with reminders to practice good habits like locking your doors,” Bradley wrote. “They may also be crimes against persons, such as sexual assault.”
Some alerts may seem vague — a deliberate choice, according to Bradley.
“We must craft those specific alerts as to not identify the victim of a crime,” Bradley wrote. “Overly specific locations can lead others to find out who the victim was. Our balance is to effectively warn the community of area crime, but also to protect victims through the ongoing process of their cases.”
Beyond emergency response and communication, UIPD’s 2022-2023 annual report includes demographic arrest data that raises questions about equity in enforcement.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, Black individuals made up 39.6% of all arrests. By contrast, Black residents make up just 17.4% of Champaign’s population, according to the 2024 census, and only 6.3% of the University’s student body, according to Spring 2025 data. More than half of Black individuals arrested faced jail time, compared to 28% of white individuals.
“These are constant conversations and UIPD takes a very serious look at all our practices to ensure equity,” Bradley wrote.
Bradley cited the department’s Tier II state accreditation. He said officers completed over 13,900 hours of training during the 2022-2023 academic year — an average of 191 hours per officer. Topics included civil rights, de-escalation, mental health and cultural competency.
But a March CU-CitizenAccess investigation added nuance to that picture. UIPD records showed many officers completed far fewer hours than the average — with some logging less than half. The report also noted certain training, including cultural competency and civil rights, are only required every three years.
That same investigation found Black and Asian drivers were stopped by UIPD at higher rates comparative to their local population. According to the article, UIPD has no formal initiatives specifically focused on reducing racial disparities in traffic enforcement.
Some students said their interactions with police were respectful. Others alleged racial profiling, dismissiveness during medical distress or searches carried out with little cause.
While UIPD emphasized its commitment to equity, it also framed many disparities as outcomes of broader societal factors. In its annual report, UIPD said systemic inequalities, including housing disparities and mental health resources access, shape arrest trends.
“We’re aware of attitudes in the national discourse related to all the common news topics and we understand those can cause anxiety and fear,” Bradley wrote. “We’ve built and maintained a strong tradition of trust and professionalism with our campus … we have to earn that trust every day and in every interaction.”
