URBANA, Ill. – The third class of participants in the University of Illinois Police Department’s Community Police Academy graduated Wednesday night with a new understanding of police operations, and officers gained a new understanding of the needs of community members.

Participants of the academy spent four weeks learning about emergency dispatch, police patrol, crime scene investigation, undercover operations, K-9 units and bomb squads. The final week culminated with participants having the opportunity to experience a police call first hand in a simulated environment.

“This academy has been a great opportunity for us to build relationships with members of our campus community,” said Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Craig Stone. “Class participants will be graduating with a new understanding of what university police do and why they do it, and our officers will be leaving with a new understanding of what our community expects of them.”

The Community Police Academy program launched in 2018 as a way to invite University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students, faculty and staff to get a behind-the-scenes look at the University Police Department.

The next academy will be offered during the spring semester. Those interested in participating can sign up to be notified of openings at go.illinois.edu/CommPoliceAcademy.