Replica Grenade Paperweight Triggers Illini-Alert at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A replica grenade left behind after a class sent a warning to every student and staff member on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus Monday evening, before police determined the object was nothing more than a paperweight.
The University of Illinois Police Department received a report of a suspicious device on campus Monday evening and issued an Illini-Alert, the university's emergency notification system used to warn the campus community of active threats. The alert went out broadly to students, faculty and staff as officers responded to investigate.
The device turned out to be a cast iron replica grenade, sold and used as a paperweight, with no explosive capability. Police said it had been left in a classroom by a student after a class session on campus.
Officers located and spoke with the student connected to the item. According to a police department press release, the department's investigation found there was "no intent to cause alarm." No charges were filed, and the department did not release additional details about the student's identity or the specific building or classroom where the paperweight was found.
Illini-Alerts are the university's standard tool for notifying the campus during safety incidents, including severe weather and reports of an active threat. The system is designed to reach students and employees quickly through text, email and other channels so people on campus can avoid an area or take precautions while police investigate. Police treated the report of a possible grenade as the kind of incident that warrants that notification, even though this one turned out to be inert.
The university has not said how long the alert remained active or whether any buildings were evacuated or locked down while officers responded. It's also unclear how the item first came to the attention of campus police, whether a student or an instructor spotted it and reported it as suspicious.
Cast iron grenade replicas like the one described are sold commercially as novelty items, marketed as military style desk decor or paperweights. They are built to resemble real ordnance in size and shape.
The University of Illinois Police Department did not say whether the student would face any disciplinary review through the university itself, separate from the criminal investigation that produced no charges.
University police have not announced any changes to alert procedures as a result of the incident, and no further updates were expected as of Wednesday.
