Glen Ellyn Police Get Award for DUI Enforcement

On Aug. 31, the Glen Ellyn police department was presented with a "PRIDE" award from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM)—a nonprofit organization against drunk driving—for increasing the number of drunk driving arrests from 2008 to 2009 by 46 percent.

The PRIDE award stands for Prevention Reflected in Dedicated Enforcement and is awarded to the police department that increases its DUI arrests by the highest percentage in a one-year period.  Figures provided by the Glen Ellyn police department show a drop in DUI arrests so far in 2010.

According to police records, arrests in August for DUIs were down by about 66 percent. In 2009, the police department made 9 DUI arrests in Glen Ellyn in August. In the same month of this year, only 3 drunk driving arrests were made. Across the board, arrests for DUIs are down for the year. By August of 2009, police had made 94 drunk driving arrests as compared to 81 for 2010.

According to Assistant Police Chief Bill Holmer, the department hasn't changed anything in its procedures for DUI arrests for 2010.

"In the past, we've participated with other towns in DUI checkpoints, but that's not something we do regularly," Holmer said.

According to figures provided by AAIM, in 2009 DuPage County ranked 11th in the state for DUI arrests with a total of 174 arrests out of over 9,900 DUI arrests in Illinois last year.

According to Holmer, most DUI arrests are the result of a motorist being pulled over for a minor driving infraction.

"Typically, it's a traffic violation that alerts the officer to a potential DUI arrest," Holmer said.

Infractions such as speeding, improper lane changes and blowing traffic signs are the initial reason why officers make the stop. If a driver is then suspected of driving under the influence, an officer will request the driver submit to a breathalyzer test, or take a field sobriety test.

The month of June in 2009 was the highest in DUI arrests for Glen Ellyn, with a total of 20 arrests made, compared to 10 arrests this year in the same month. So far the month with the highest number of drunk driving arrests in the village this year was in May, when 16 total arrests were made.

According to Holmer, the number of arrests shifts regularly and don't usually correlate from year to year with a particular month or season. However, Holmer did say that police tend to keep an extra eye on the road for drunk drivers around holidays like New Years, the 4th of July, Christmas and even Labor Day.

"We always pay particular attention, and this is statewide, on holidays. These tend to be higher than normal drinking times," Holmer said.

According to AAIM, 82 percent of drunk drivers arrested in Illinois are male and 60 percent of people arrested for DUI are under the age of 34. In 2002, 45 percent of traffic fatalities were the result of DUI.