The Champaign Police Department announced this week that violent crime has decreased 50.6 percent in the past 15 years. According to the report, violent crime includes homicide, sexual assault, robbery and assault and battery.

The decrease in crime on the Illinois campus may have been due to a crime alerts system. In 2009, campus police reported 217 violent crimes.

If you or anyone you know has been charged with a violent crime, contact the Champaign criminal defense attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000.