A lot has changed during the past year, but at least one thing has remained exactly the same: Student safety is and will always be our top priority.
As they arrive in Champaign-Urbana, members of our new and returning classes of students will become a crucial part of our campus community, and public safety officials want new students to be aware of the resources available to them as they embark on their new journey.
UIPD is a full-service police department just like any other police department. We have a staff of 65 sworn officers, more than 2,200 security cameras, and a large contingent of civilian staff, security officers, and supervisors who spend 24 hours a day focusing on one mission: the safety and security of the community they serve.
While we are fortunate to say that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a very safe campus, the reality is that a large campus community of about 60,000 students, faculty and staff will never be entirely crime-free. That’s why UIPD is here, but police cannot do it alone. Safety is a campus wide effort, and UIPD relies on the assistance of our community members and on the partnerships it has forged with various groups. Incoming students are now a crucial part of that community effort.
For that reason, it is imperative that our new community members take a few moments to familiarize themselves with UIPD:
- Look over basic safety tips at illinois.edu/safetyand encourage your students to do the same.
- Students should sign up for Illini-Alert emergency text messages at illinois.edu. Parents and family members can sign up by texting “IlliniAlert” to 226787.
- Follow UIPD on Twitter (@UIPD), Facebook (@uipolice), and Instagram (@uipolice).
- Subscribe to receive Campus Safety Notices, UIPD news updates and more. You can find links to these feeds at illinois.edu/informed.
- Explore the division’s SafeWalks program (illinois.edu/safewalks)
Students should not hesitate to contact police if they observe unusual or suspicious behavior, and especially if they feel their own or someone else’s safety is at risk.
Additionally, our REACH team is available to respond in situations where a student is experiencing an emergency related to mental health.
Public safety officials are always happy to speak with anyone. UIPD can be reached 24 hours a day at (217) 333-1216 or police@illinois.edu for non-emergency issues.
We thank all students and their families for being active participants in the safety of our entire campus community.
