UIPD officers provide safety, build relationships with Illini basketball during special protection assignment
BOSTON (WCIA) — As the Illini men’s basketball team plays its Sweet 16 match on Thursday in Boston, they will have more than just support staff to keep them healthy and in the game. They’ll also have support staff to keep them safe.
There are two University of Illinois Police officers who regularly travel with the team to all of their games on the road. This year, those officers are Assistant Chief Joe McCullough and Lieutenant James Carter.
Their job, UIPD officials said, is to address safety issues on and off the court, during basketball season and in the off season. They also build relationships with the players, coaches and staff in order to open lines of communication between the team and the UIPD.
“Both men’s basketball and football staffs at their previous institutions had very good working relationships with their police departments, and they wanted to bring that to our campus,” McCullough said. “It is very important for the players to get to know our officers in a more real-life setting rather than just seeing an officer on the street or on a call.”
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McCullough and Carter provide security for the team at both at State Farm Center and on the road, including at hotels, practice facilities and at the games themselves. They are prepared for all kinds of threats, ranging from unruly individual fans to court storms involving hundreds of students.
“The players realize that we are not here because of them but rather for them,” McCullough said. “Over the past few years, we have been able to build that relationship, and it is very common for us to speak with the players about social media issues, accessibility on campus and added dangers of sports gambling – specifically about disgruntled fans or gamblers taking their anger out on our players, either in person or through online messaging.”
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In addition, traveling to other Big Ten universities has the added perk of collaborating with and learning from the police departments on those campuses. UIPD officials said the information they learn helps security enhancements at State Farm Center and vice versa for the other departments.
“We coordinate with local law enforcement and private security depending on our itinerary and location,” McCullough said. “Occasionally during a season, there are identified security threats. So in the past we have worked with FBI and law enforcement to bolster any protection for those affected.”
Both McCullough and Carter have worked with the basketball team since 2021, when the University of Illinois Police Department partnered with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) to enhance the safety of the football and basketball teams. The DIA reimburses the UIPD for costs related to travel, along with a portion of the officers’ salaries.
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