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University of Illinois Police |
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University of Illinois Police |
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Division of Public Safety Administrative Services |
Division of Public Safety | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Administration of Justice. Lt. Frost is
also a graduate of the Northwestern University Public Safety
Institute of Police Staff and Command.
In
1999, the University of Illinois Police Department reintroduced
the motorcycle patrol unit. This is the first motorcycle patrol
unit at the department since the middle 1980's. Officer George
Sandwick, Officer Steve Mechling and Officer Jon Whittington are assigned to this unit.
Both motor officers and our patrol motorcycles have appeared in
numerous community parades and events and have become a valuable
asset for traffic escorts and providing emergency response in
the congested traffic environments of the campus area. The
Division was able to reintroduce this highly effective patrol
mode to the campus community thanks to a partnership with local
Harley Davidson dealer Sharon Andrae who provided the specially
equipped motorcycle. Additional support for the unit was
provided by Bill Weisiger and Squad Fitters, Inc.
It
has proven to be an effective and popular way for officers to
patrol the campus, because bicycle patrol allows officers to
increase their visibility and access to the campus community.
Twenty-two of the police officers assigned to the Patrol Section
are trained and equipped to use bicycles on patrol. Over the
past year, two new officers were also trained and certified for
bicycle patrol. To be certified, officers must complete the
International Police Mountain Bike Association’s (IPMBA) 32-hour
basic bicycle course. The Bicycle Unit has an IPMBA instructor
on staff. In October 2004, the Division sponsored a 32-hour
basic bicycle course, and officers from Clinton, Macon County,
Mt. Zion, Urbana, and the University of Illinois received
training and certification for bicycle patrol.
presentations about their role in police work and the abilities
of police canines to sniff for drugs. During 2004, Officer
Beckman and Roxey conducted 86 vehicle sweeps which resulted in
28 arrests. They also were called to track 32 times, with 26 of
these being for felony cases. The team checked over 900
packages in the Housing mail rooms and made numerous
presentations at such places as the Citizens Police Academy, Vet
Med Open House, Urbana Sweet Corn Festival, Boy Scout Jamboree,
and Operation Snowball at Allerton Park. The addition of Nala to
the canine team was a culmination of many hours of work by
several officers and the generous financial support of several
units on campus. Some of the donors to the new program were the
Division of Campus Recreation, the Division of Intercollegiate
Athletics, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Willard
Airport, the Chancellor’s Office, and the Moms and Dads
Associations. After a selection process, Officer Chew was sent
to Northern Michigan to train with Nala for four weeks. After
returning to campus, Officer Chew and Nala made several
presentations on campus to introduce her. Nala was utilized to
do explosive sweeps before all home football games and has also
been used to sweep other locations, such as the Assembly Hall
prior to many events including basketball games. Officer Chew
and Nala train on a consistent basis and also spend time at
Willard Airport several times a week. 
Officers
Steve Trame and Aaron Landers and Lieutenant V.G. “Skip” Frost.
All EOD Unit members are required to satisfactorily complete a
five-week course (200 hours) at the Hazardous Devices School
(HDS) located at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.
Members are also required to re-certify at HDS every three years
to maintain their certification as bomb technicians. Additional
training occurs one day each month, in addition to applicable
schools and a yearly conference of the Region III International
Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI). Calls
for service that the EOD Unit responds to include collection of
military ordnance and destruction of those items, suspicious
packages or letters, suspected “booby traps” in drug fields or
fortified houses, and the ongoing transport and disposal of
seized illegal fireworks. Safe destruction of these items is
always the goal of the Unit. During the past year, the EOD
team’s capabilities were substantially improved with the
purchase of much needed new equipment. This equipment included
new state-of-the-art bomb suits and communications systems,
along with a new vehicle and trailer to transport the larger
robot that was also procured. These capability and safety
improvements were made possible through a Homeland Security
grant provided by the federal government. More information about
the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit can be found on the
Division’s web site at www.dps.uiuc.edu. Any questions about
the Unit that do not compromise the security or tactics of the
Unit can be forwarded to Lieutenant V.G. “Skip” Frost at
vgfrost@uiuc.edu.
Overall
activity this year for METRO included one barricaded subject,
eight high-risk warrant services, and five other details
involving crowd control. The Team is staffed and supported by
the University Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s
Office, Urbana Police Department, Rantoul Police Department, and
Mahomet Police Department. Additionally, Tactical Emergency
Medical Support Team members include four paramedics who provide
a valuable part of the Team to assist with medical issues in the
role of tactical medics. Members of the Team train together at
least eight hours per month and are on-call for emergency
situations. A member of the Division’s Explosive Ordnance
Disposal Unit is also included as a tactical specialist. This
member provides support to the Team involving incidents where
hazardous devices maybe involved. In response to the Homeland
Security issues, numerous members of METRO and other neighboring
SWAT teams, including three University police officers, are part
of the State Regional 7 Containment Team as part of the Illinois
Law Enforcement Alarm System. This Containment Team is outfitted
and trained to a higher level to meet the need of a potential
weapons of mass destruction threat or incident. This team may
be activated to respond anywhere in the state. More information
about the Metropolitan Emergency Tactical Response Option Team
can be found of the Division’s web site at www.dps.uiuc.edu.
The
student patrol program serves many functions, but primarily
focuses on notifying police officers when they see a crime in
progress or any person in need of police or medical assistance.
Student patrol officers facilitate a rapid response by public
safety agencies to hundreds of incidents every year and are
responsible for numerous arrests. The student patrol program
also staffs the party patrol, which is a first response to loud
party complaints. The student patrol officers act as the
initial education and warning to party hosts, freeing up local
police officers to answer calls for service of a more pressing
nature. Non compliance by the host(s) results in a visit from
the police. The student patrol officers also assist with large
special events, providing extra security and pedestrian help
during football games, basketball games, and concert events, not
to mention specialized security details where a police officer’s
presence is not always necessary. Another special duty the
student patrol officers perform are late night walking escorts
for people who are uncomfortable walking alone at night or have
other special needs. 
