Matthew Henson began his law enforcement career in 1995. He joined the Champaign Police Department 2001 and has been serving the City of Champaign ever since. Henson has held several positions within the department, progressing through the ranks to include patrol officer, an assignment as a narcotics officer, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, and Investigations Lieutenant. He was promoted to Deputy Chief of Operational Support in February 2021. The City Manager appointed Henson as Interim Chief of Police in August 2021. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from Southern Illinois University in 1994.  He continued his education by attending the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville, where he graduated from the 142^nd Administrative Officers Course in November 2019.

Responsibilities for the Chief of Police include providing leadership and supervision to approximately 125 sworn and 22 civilian personnel in the areas of intelligence-led policing, patrol, traffic, criminal investigations, and a host of related activities and services. The Chief of Police assesses, monitors, and provides direction on all aspects of department resources and personnel consistent with City Manager and Council direction to maintain efficiency, and to provide a stable level of service to the community during routine periods and unexpected events.

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Tom Petrilli began his law enforcement career in 2001 when he joined the Champaign Police Department. He has served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Detective, Patrol Sergeant, and Lieutenant. Most of his career has been in the patrol division, where he served in various roles throughout the entire city. During his time in the patrol division, he was involved in several specialized units to include the Special Weapons and Tactics Team, Field Training Officer, and the Community Assistance Team. Once promoted to Sergeant in 2012 and Lieutenant in 2017, he oversaw the field training and evaluation program from 2012-17. Petrilli then served as the Patrol Division Administrative Lieutenant before being promoted as the Deputy Chief of Administration and Professional Standards.

Currently, he is the Deputy Chief of Operations. He is primarily responsible for overseeing the patrol division and the response to approximately 60,000 calls for service annually. The division is staffed with 75 officers, 13 sergeants, 3 Lieutenants, and 2 K9 officers. Officers work 10-hour shifts with four days on and three days off. DC Petrilli additionally oversees the Crisis Intervention Team, comprised of officers highly trained in communication skills to provide support on service calls. The members of CIT are utilized to de-escalate often tense situations, such as hostage negotiations, suicidal subjects, and other crisis situations, with the goal to seek compliance and a peaceful resolution.

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