Community Involvement at Champaign Police

The Champaign Police Department values the input of our community and encourages Champaign residents to get involved with their local law enforcement. From offering comments on employee conduct to joining the department, there are many ways to assist your police in maintaining the safety of our community and the professionalism of our officers. Champaign Police also offer volunteer opportunities for residents to take an active role in the department by participating as community panelists on officer interview panels and serving on department committees.

Community Members for Officer Interview Panels

Residents interested in providing valuable input in the hiring of new police officers are invited to volunteer as resident panelists on the Chief’s hiring panel. Selected applicants will volunteer to serve on the Chief’s interview panel and provide feedback to Chief of Police Timothy T. Tyler regarding each candidate applying to serve as a Champaign Police Officer. Community members on the interview panel will meet with each applicant and participate in structured panel interviews to assess each candidate’s qualifications. Time commitments will vary based on need, but volunteers are asked to commit at least one day per month to participate in interviews.

Volunteers must:

• Reside within the Champaign city limits
• Be at least 21 years of age

Preference will be given to applicants:

• Experienced in a supervisory or leadership role
• Exhibiting knowledge of issues related to local police-community relations
• Demonstrating the ability to be objective in reviewing job applicants
• Experience hiring or evaluating employees

Interview training and a non-disclosure agreement must be completed prior to serving on this panel.

Residents with questions about this volunteer opportunity should contact Karen Hampton in the City’s Human Resources Department at 217-403-8770 or [email protected].

Use of Force Review Committee

Members of the Use of Force Review Committee review the circumstances related to specific incidents where a Champaign Police Officer uses force in the course of their duties. Examples of these scenarios include grapples, holds, use of less lethal equipment such as a TASER or OC spray, and weapon points. As part of a monthly meeting, panelists are presented with reports, in-car and body camera video, policy samples, and expert advice from department trainers to ensure that all uses of force were reasonable and within department policy. The panel does not provide any insight on officer discipline but instead makes training and policy recommendations for department consideration.

The Chief of Police appoints a pool of Department members and six citizen representatives to serve on the Use of Force Review Committee.  Department appointees are assigned for a period of one year and citizen representatives serve no more than two consecutive three-year terms. Citizen representatives serve in an individual and advisory capacity and focus on ensuring that the process is thorough, fair, and sensitive to community concerns about police use of force. Time commitments include one monthly meeting lasting approximately 60-120 minutes, held over Zoom video conferencing. To learn more about the Use of Force Review Committee, click here.

Volunteers must:

• Reside within the Champaign city limits
• Be at least 21 years of age

Preference will be given to applicants:

• With a reputation for fairness and integrity
• Exhibiting a history of public service
• Reflecting the diversity of our community, including neighborhood, income level, ethnicity, age, gender, and experience

Policy training and a non-disclosure agreement must be completed prior to serving on this panel.

Residents with questions about this volunteer opportunity should contact Deputy Chief Kevin Olmstead at 217-403-7010 or [email protected].

Getting Involved with CPD

Click here to download an application

To apply for a panel, download the application using the link above. Completed applications can be submitted by email to Assistant to the Police Chief for Community Services Joe Lamberson at [email protected]. Applications can also be dropped off or mailed to the Champaign Police Department at 82 E. University Ave., Champaign, IL 61820.

How to Verify that you live within the City limits:

OPTION 1: Consult your Property Tax Bill. If the property tax bill on your primary residence lists “Champaign City” as a taxing body, you live within City limits.

OPTION 2: Check your City Council District Online. To verify your address is within Champaign City limits, follow these steps to locate your address:

• Go to the City’s online Council District Map.  It should display areas within Champaign City Limits in vibrant colors.
• Type your address into the search bar on the upper left-hand side.  Only include the house or building number and street, do not include city and state or “Champaign, IL.”
• Click the magnifying glass icon to search. The map should zoom to the parcel address.
• If the address is within the colorful areas, you live inside the City Limits and are eligible to participate. If the search returns “No Results” you do not live inside the City limits.