The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) believes that driving under the influence (DUI) arrests are the best deterrents to impaired driving, and given their interest, they report annually on how many DUI arrests in Illinois take place every year, and whether Skokie, Evanston, Chicago or any other municipality saw increases or decreases in DUI arrests.
AAIM reported that arrests made by the Chicago Police Department decreased by 10.5 percent in 2013 (3,395) compared to 2012 (3,795). For the seventh consecutive year, the Rockford Police Department led the state in DUI arrests among smaller municipal departments with 556 arrests for 2013.
In 2013, the DuPage county City of Naperville was a close second with 553 arrests. Carol Stream had 392, Elmhurst had 300, and Oak Lawn in Cook county had 262.
The biggest increase in arrests was reported in the city of Champaign where DUI arrests jumped by 141 percent in 2013 compared to 2012. Other municipalities with large increases from 2012 to 2013 were Chicago Heights (63.6 percent), Lombard (41.4 percent) and Gurnee (40.6 percent).
The highest DUI arrest rate in the state among departments making at least 200 arrests was Carol Stream which had 6.43 arrests per sworn officer. AAIM has suggested that arrests per officer should be considered an indicator of a department's emphasis on DUI enforcement and are a measure that can be used to compare smaller departments.
AAIM also includes data about specific officers. Springfield Police Officer Timothy Jenkins reported the most with 182 DUI arrests followed by Decatur Police Officer Steve Hagemeyer, who arrested 171 alleged drunk drivers and Chicago Police Officer Timothy Walter, who arrested 152 alleged drunk drivers. Chicago Police Officer Elliiot Tupayachi had nearly as many at 140.
Illinois State Police arrests increased by 28.8 percent in 2013 (9,302) compared to 2012 (7,220). The sheriff's department reporting the most DUI arrests was Lake County (348), while Cook (306) and DuPage (245) Counties help round out the top five sheriff departments.
When sources claim DUI is on the decline, we always raise an eyebrow. The truth is that for several years, police departments have been hurting for money, reducing overtime pay, reducing active duty personnel, and relying more and more on federal government subsidies tied to enforcement tactics like DUI roadblocks that are of highly questionable value in DUI enforcement efforts.
The attorneys at Fagan, Fagan & Davis have defended thousands against DUI charges throughout the Chicago area courts, including those located in Cook County, DuPage County and Lake County. We understand which defense strategies are the most effective in court and how to challenge evidence gathered by law enforcement and offered by the prosecution. Contact us now for a free consultation.
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