public records periodical

Champaign Police Department Internal Affairs complaint review

In early 2023, we launched the beta site champaign.cpdp.co, our first police data tool outside of Chicago.

Along with accessing, cleaning, and making police complaint and use of force data public, our reporting team has partnered with local journalism outlets in Urbana and Champaign (including CU-CitizenAccess, Illinois Public Media, and The Public i), and have so far published a story about the police misconduct of a Champaign County Sheriff’s sergeant, an investigation into police response to mental health cases and involuntary commitment, an investigation into a pattern of excessive use of force and the failure of accountability systems within the Urbana Police Department, and police’s continued violations of department policies surrounding domestic violence calls.

For an example of a document we received through public records request, check out this Champaign Police Department Internal Affairs complaint review file. The complaint alleged both false arrest and excessive force by officers. This document includes a copy of a letter sent to the CPD by a neighbor who witnessed the encounter, and corroborated the complainant’s narrative. After a 27-day investigation, the Champaign Police Department Internal Affairs unit found these allegations unsustained, because the officers denied the allegations.

January 06, 2025