U Of I Proposes Off-Campus Cameras In Champaign

City council members in Champaign are considering a proposal from the University of Illinois to expand its network of surveillance cameras off campus and onto city streets.

University Police Chief Jeff Christensen tells The News-Gazette that adding more cameras where students congregate would help his department and city law enforcement.
 
If approved, it would be the first time the university has put security cameras on property it doesn't own.
 
Christensen says footage from the university's camera network helped solve 15 investigations during the 2012-2013 school year and provided evidence in another six cases.
 
The U of I wants to phase in off-campus cameras starting with a control box at Sixth and John streets that could later connect cameras along Green Street, a high-traffic corridor.