ROCKFORD TOPS POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN DUI ARRESTS

Schaumburg, May 21, 2008: Since 1990, the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) has conducted an annual survey of Illinois police departments to determine how many DUI arrests they make and to give recognition to the most productive departments and police officers. Through a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, over 700 police agencies were surveyed with 56% responding. The most important deterrent to drunk driving is law enforcement. AAIM not only praises these departments and individual officers, but we also want to encourage them to keep up the fight against drunk driving and it’s paid off.

The Naperville Police Department has finished first in the state in DUI arrests among municipal departments with 808 arrests for 2006. (Because of its size, Chicago is in its own category.) Naperville has been a perennial top-ten police department in AAIM’s DUI ranking with being the top department the last three years. According to Chief David Dial, impaired driving enforcement has been and continues to be a priority for the Naperville Police Department. “We have more people killed or injured in traffic accidents than all other crimes combined and it is a significant safety issue for Naperville and we will stay on top of it,” said Chief Dial.

The Rockford Police Department has finished first in the state in DUI arrests among municipal departments with 715 arrests for 2007. (Because of its size, Chicago is in its own category.) Rockford has been a perennial top-ten police department in AAIM’s DUI ranking.

In 2007, Naperville was second with 683 arrests, followed by Carol Stream (527), Buffalo Grove (501), Peoria (452), Waukegan (432), Springfield (398), Hanover Park (363), Rolling Meadows (358), and Skokie (349).

The highest DUI arrest rate in the state among departments making at least 200 arrests was River Grove which had 11.09 arrests per sworn officer. The second highest rate of 10.96 was in Itasca. Arrests per officer is an indicator of a department’s emphasis on DUI enforcement.

Chicago police made more arrests in 2007 (6,257) than in 2006 (5,970), while Illinois State Police increased arrests by 6% in 2007 (8,587) compared to 2006 (8,079). The sheriff’s department reporting the most DUI arrests was in Cook County (498), while DeKalb (417), Lake (379), DuPage (360), and Will (338) Counties round out the top five sheriff departments.

Chicago Police Officer Timothy Walter was Illinois’ Top Cop with 298 DUI arrests making his career total over 1,000 DUI arrests. AAIM also commends the life-saving efforts of Chicago Police Officer Richard Fiorito with 230 arrests, Waukegan Police Officer Mark Harwood with 201 arrests, River Grove Police Officer Anthony Ikis with 200 arrests and Rockford Investigator Paul Gallagher with 189 arrests. Illinois State Police Trooper James Wright arrested 125 drunk drivers and Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Kirsch arrested 127 drunk drivers. “When police chiefs make it a priority to get impaired drivers off the roads, lots of arrests are made. Each of these individual officers makes more DUI arrests per year than the majority of whole police departments in Illinois. These officers deserve recognition and thanks for their diligence in promoting public safety,” said Charlene Chapman, Executive Director.

In a familiar pattern, the regions of the state with the strongest DUI enforcement are DuPage Co., which accounts for thirteen of the state’s top departments and Lake Co., which accounts for seven departments. “More DUI arrests in the DuPage and Lake Counties don’t necessarily mean there are more drunk drivers in those regions than in the rest of the state,” said Chapman. “It does indicate a more active enforcement effort targeting DUI by those departments compared to other departments.”

The biggest increases in arrests among the top departments were in Decatur where DUI arrests jumped by 129% in 2007 compared to 2006, Hinsdale (126%), Lockport (93%), Addison (64%) and River Grove (39%). "It’s highly unlikely that such big increases in arrests indicate corresponding increases in impaired drivers on the roads in those towns; it just means more of them were being detected and arrested last year compared to previous years,” said Chapman, who has been conducting the annual survey for AAIM since 1990.

AAIM is a citizen’s activist group founded in 1982 by victims of drunk driving. Prevention, victim advocacy, and legislation encompass the mission of AAIM. The survey provides a valuable service by encouraging citizens to compare the DUI enforcement record of their local police department with that of other communities. As a result, public pressure can be applied, where needed, to make DUI enforcement a priority.

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For a full list of Illinois departments click here