If you live, work, or like to go out in or around Riverside, Illinois, don’t drink and drive.  That’s the message being sent by Police Chief Thomas Weitzel and the Riverside Police Department. Our Chicago DUI Attorneys have learned that Riverside Police Department receives additional State grants for DUI arrests and, as a result, have greatly increased the number of DUI arrests in and around Riverside. Here’s the full story as reported by the Riverside Brookfield Landmark.

DUIs in Riverside jumped 59% in 2008
Total of 132 the second highest in village history

By BOB UPHUES
Editor

Riverside police notched 132 arrests for drunken driving in 2008, the second highest annual total in village history and a 59 percent increase over the number of DUI arrests made the previous year.

Police Chief Thomas Weitzel, who officially took command of the department in January 2008 after serving as acting chief since September 2007, said that the aggressive DUI enforcement is a reflection of his commitment to cracking down on drunk drivers.

“At my first staff meeting, I reiterated to my command staff that DUI enforcement is a priority,” Weitzel said. “If our officers come across a drunk driver, they’re not releasing them.”

When 2008 began, it looked as if there would be a record-breaking number of DUI arrests in the village. That January alone, Riverside officers made 35 arrests for drunk driving.

What made that number all the more remarkable is that those arrests came as a result of regular patrol efforts by police. The village receives grant money annually from the state of Illinois to do additional DUI and traffic enforcement, principally along state routes. The January arrests came without that additional traffic enforcement effort.

However, in subsequent months officers did make many DUI arrests as part of the state grant program.

In 2007, Riverside police made 83 DUI arrests. That was a significant drop in such arrests from recent years. From 2004 to 2006, the department averaged 125 arrests for drunk driving, with a record 140 in 2005.

Staffing was part of the reason for the drop in DUI arrests in 2007. At one point during the year, the department was down an entire shift’s worth of officers. That trend reversed itself somewhat in 2008.

Most DUI offenders are arrested along the main roads that border the village, Harlem Avenue and First Avenue in particular. Most also occur during the overnight hours, between midnight and 8 a.m.

But Weitzel said that officers are not stationary, waiting along those roads for possible DUI offenders.

“It’s a misconception to think our officers just sit there,” Weitzel said. “They’re on patrol in the village. They’re more likely to get an offender by being on the move.”

Weitzel also said that by far most crashes resulting from drunk driving happen on the village’s winding side streets.

Officer Jeffrey Miller was the department’s most prolific with respect to DUI enforcement, with 39 arrests in 2008. He was a member of the midnight shift that logged most of January’s record-breaking total in 2008.

The Law Offices of James E. Fabbrini have years of experience protecting people charged with DUI. From first time DUI offenders to felony DUI, our Chicago DUI lawyers have successfully fought DUI charges in Chicago and the surrounding areas.

Protect your freedom, avoid trouble, and save yourself money. Contact our office today. All consultations are absolutely free. Call us at (312) 494-3131 or e-mail us your questions at Contact@WindyCityLawFirm.com