From almost 700 surveys conducted by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, the police departments of Illinois have revealed crucial information about the DUI rates in Illinois. State Police, Chicago Police, and law enforcement agencies answered this survey, providing an all-encompassing and thorough look at these critical statistics.
AAIM is an independent non-profit citizens' action group and was founded in 1982 with the help of then-Secretary of State, Gov. Jim Edgar, who led legislative efforts to combat drunk driving by establishing Illinois' first citizens' task force. The survey, which has been conducted since 1990, is funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"Tougher enforcement of drunk driving laws and public awareness campaigns in Illinois has substantially cut the annual number of alcohol-related traffic deaths since fatalities peaked during the 1980s," said AAIM Executive Director Rita Kreslin in a statement. "Focused efforts and cooperation of law enforcement agencies, traffic safety advocates and communities have helped to prevent crashes and save thousands of lives."
The Illinois State Police reported 37.8 percent fewer arrests than the 9,302 made in 2013. In 2012, state troopers arrested 7,220 intoxicated drivers.
Chicago's arrest figure fell 2.2 percent from 2013, when the Chicago Police Department made 3,395 drunken driving arrests.
The Secretary of State Police, which focuses on enforcing laws on vehicle registration and sales of motor vehicles and parts, also figured into the statistics with six more arrests than in 2013.
Some cities had significant spikes in the number of DUI arrests over the year, though no municipality came close to the increase seen in Berwyn, a city of about 56,700 in Chicago's west suburbs. The Berwyn Police Department in 2014 reported 202 arrests, a 122 percent increase from the 91 drunken driving arrests the previous year.
Since more populated cities and counties typically have more DUI arrests, we used AAIM's data to see which had the most per capita. Using U.S. Census population estimates for 2014, the following lists 10 of the top cities with the most arrests per 1,000 people.
- Arrests: 55
- Officers: 20
- Arrests/officer: 2.75
- Arrests: 16
- Officers: 6
- Arrests/officer: 2.67
- Arrests: 200
- Officers: 43
- Arrests/officer: 4.65
- Arrests: 14
- Officers: 4
- Arrests/officer: 3.5
- Arrests: 8
- Officers: 9
- Arrests/officer: 0.89
- Arrests: 22
- Officers: 10
- Arrests/officer: 2.2
- Arrests: 37
- Officers: 8
- Arrests/officer: 4.63
- Arrests: 23
- Officers: 8
- Arrests/officer: 2.88
- Arrests: 75
- Officers: 11
- Arrests/officer: 6.82
- Arrests: 25
- Officers: 8
- Arrests/officer: 3.13
To see the top 15 cities and top 25 counties with DUI arrests, plus the full set of data on DUI arrests in Illinois, visit Reboot Illinois.
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