CHAMPAIGN Co., Ill. (WAND) – Changes are coming to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office in 2021. Sheriff Dustin Heuerman is launching three new ways to connect with the community.

 “The goal of my administration has always been to provide fair and impartial processes while working to ensure the safety of those in Champaign County,” stated Sheriff Heuerman. “Events that occurred in 2020 gave me an opportunity to reflect on what the Sheriff’s Office does well, where we can improve, and how we can help the public have an accurate perception of what we do every day.”

These initiatives will focus on areas of the county that are not served by a municipal police department. The first is a justice diversion program designed to keep people out of jail.

The Justice Diversion Initiative will work toward reducing police contacts for non-criminal issues involving those who might be better served with community alternatives. When deputies respond to calls for situations such as mental health crises, a social worker will follow up with the person in crisis to get the person the resources they need.

"Law enforcement deals with some things they don't need to be dealing with, but there are no alternatives for that,” the sheriff said. "That will hopefully lead to this person will not need to call the police the next time they are in crisis and they will get the resources they need and that will in turn free up my deputies."

Another initiative, a special enforcement team, known as SET. According to a press release from the the department, the main objective of the Team is to be proactive in reducing activities that jeopardize the safety of those who live in, work in, and visit Champaign County. This could include areas with a high number of shooting calls.

           

"These deputies will saturate the area, do a little bit of proactive police in hopes of discouraging this kind of behavior and bring those to custody who are doing these shootings,” Heuerman said.

A third initiative is to get deputies more engaged in the community.

 “I believe the majority of those we serve trust us and support us,” stated Sheriff Heuerman, “but we can always do better at interacting and communicating effectively with the community.”

Broad goals of this initiative include:

• Increase casual and consensual contacts with community members and businesses to promote positive community relationships

• Increase collaboration with community members and businesses to identify issues they are experiencing and help implement strategies to mitigate the identified issues

• Collaborate with community leaders to organize programs and activities that help build positive relationships between deputies and the community (e.g., National Night Out, youth athletic programs, Coffee with a Cop, etc.)

• Collaborate to help organize and enhance crime prevention programs (e.g., Farm Watch, Neighborhood Watch, etc.)

• Evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction of our communities with the Sheriff’s Office and its personnel.