Media Contact: Lt. Robert Rea | 217-403-6908 | [email protected]
Police are seeking the public’s help to identify a man responsible for committing recent residential burglaries in the campus area.
Surveillance video below shows the suspect wearing a black hooded sweater, long dark shorts, black shoes, and carrying a maroon backpack. In the surveillance, the suspect can be seen entering an unlocked apartment and removing property.
These burglaries are believed to be occurring in the early morning hours, shortly before and after sunrise. Since September 5, 2016 Champaign Officers have responded to 20 residential burglaries in the campus area. In most of these burglaries the suspect entered through an unlocked door and the victims were home at the time.
Police are conducting extra patrol details; reaching out to property management to ensure safety protocols; as well as conducting door-to-door canvasses to alert campus residents and to try to gain any information that may helpful in our investigations. Residents are urged to remain alert, report anything unusual or suspicious to the police, and to always lock your doors.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is encouraged to call the Champaign Police Department Investigations Division at (217) 351-4545.
Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by phone at (217) 373-8477; online at www.373tips.com; or by texting “CCTIP” plus the information to 274637 (CRIMES). Crime Stoppers will pay a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for this crime.
Champaign Police reminds citizens that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.