The Champaign Police Department’s K-9 Unit, special weapons and tactics team, hostage negotiations team, crime scene technicians and explosive ordinance disposal unit all came out Monday for a day of demonstrations and presentations for the Champaign community. It was the department’s first annual open house. The event took place during National Police Week, a week in which the country recognizes the services and sacrifices of United States law enforcement.

“What we wanted to do is take the opportunity to just educate our community about law enforcement professionals, specifically the Champaign Police Department,” police chief Anthony Cobb said. “As we’re doing that, we want the public to take some positive things away from this, so we’re doing demonstrations out here to give the public a chance to see what the SWAT team and other specialized units would do in certain scenarios.”

Each unit had a chance to demonstrate a certain situation where they would be called upon. One such scenario was a suspect experiencing excited delirium, a brain disorder that is usually drug-related and includes symptoms of bizarre, aggressive behavior, violence toward others and hyperthermia.

Chief Cobb explained this disorder as something that law enforcement needs to be able to recognize, because it can cause death if not properly handled. The person suffering is exhibiting dangerous and usually criminal behavior, but in reality they are not themselves. Cobb said this is something the CPD has taken very seriously, which is why they wanted to educate the public about it and demonstrate their training for it.

The unique aspect about these specialized units is that every member is a regular patrol officer or detective. Being a part of the specialized units and taking on the training for them is something the officers do voluntarily.

Normal CPD duties are of higher priority, but when distinctive situations arise, members of the specialized units have the training to negotiate with a criminal who is holding hostages, or even defuse an explosive.

Chief Cobb said he was told by city staff that it is customary for the Chief to have an open house when they start their tenure, which is how the idea for the annual event came about.

“People want to meet the new chief and I think that’s important, but my idea was, if we’re going to do an open house, don’t let it just be about the new chief, let it be about the Champaign Police Department and have some educational purpose,” he said.

Cobb said he plans to make this an annual event for the duration of his tenure as police chief. He sees it as a great way for the police and the public to converse as well as learn from each other.

“Our people are having a good time with it, the public seems to be enjoying it,” Cobb said. “It’s a great time for us to interact and educate our public and at the same time, learn. A lot of citizens come in with great questions and suggestions. It’s great to have those kinds of resources.”