Urbana welcomes new police chief

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — The City of Urbana has welcomed a new police chief, Larry Boone.

On Wednesday morning, Chief Larry Boone met with members of the media and the community to talk about his life and his plans for the future of the Urbana Police Department.

"I am where I need to be," he said.

Chief Boone is a 33-year law enforcement professional who retired from the Norfolk, VA Police Department in 2022. He said his passion for law enforcement didn't start at a young age. The New Jersey native grew up in an urban area, where community and police relationships weren't strong. He saw crime happen around him and anytime the police would show up, someone would get arrested.

"I saw hustlers and pimps, you name it. That's the way my mindset was starting to develop."

To prevent getting into trouble, Boone moved to North Carolina to live with his grandparents. He began to excel in sports, specifically football. He got a football scholarship to Georgia Southern University and was a part the program's historic winning successes.

It wasn't until his senior year of college that he was exposed to the positive side of law enforcement. Boone recalled being on the field and seeing an African American police officer.

"As soon as I saw him I knew that is what I wanted to do."

The dream of playing the league faded, and Boone moved to pursue a career in law enforcement. He started at the Norfolk, VA Police Department and worked his way up the ranks.

"I was the first officer in the history of the department to be promoted at every rank, having been promoted 9 times to get to the chief."

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During his time in Norfolk, Boone gained experience in many operational and administrative positions. He was a patrol officer, special enforcement division/metro-tac officer, K-9 officer, internal affairs, detective, homeland security division, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief, and deputy chief.

Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone, center.

While at the helm at NPD he helped develop a variety of programs and changed policies and procedures. These included community-based policing strategies and transparency policies.

Boone used the example of providing the Norfolk community with a "Use of Force Dashboard". After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, members of the Norfolk wanted to see the department's policy.

"Now, a citizen can go there from the comfort of their own home and activate that information."

On Wednesday, Boone shared his excitement about joining the Urbana Police Department. He stated that he was ready to see the department expand and grow.

"We are going to be in the community going door-to-door asking the citizens of Urbana, 'how do we police you.'"

While Boone didn't talk about specific policies, he suggested that some of the changes would adversely impact the community. He wants to see his department actively talking with groups, community members, and the youth.

"Whether it's the school system, or another measure, concerning our minority communities we are going to be in those communities."

Boone was recognized nationally in 2020 for building trust through community programs by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and subsequently recognized nationally and internationally for managing unrest in Norfolk following the killing of George Floyd.

His contract is effective June 5, 2023, through June 30, 2025.