Blackout Wednesday: Drinkers Rejoice, First Responders Prepare

WEST SUBURBS, IL — While Black Friday may be the nation's busiest shopping day of the year, local police, emergency medical technicians and bartenders are more concerned with one of the nation's booziest days of the year: Blackout Wednesday. Research by restaurant management service "Upserve" and American Addiction Centers has found that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving — this year it falls on Nov. 27 — is regularly among the top 10 drinking days of the year. And with over 55 million people expected to be traveling on Wednesday, public servants on both sides of the bar are expecting a busy night.

The Thin Sober Line

"Holidays are usually busier days, for sure... You always got to be ready for anything," a local firefighter and EMT who asked to remain anonymous said.

He added that singling out a specific calendar day for how hectic it is can be difficult, given the relatively random nature of firefighting and EMT work. That said, research by the U.S. Department of Transportation over the course of 25 years found that the week of Thanksgiving was regularly among the most dangerous times of the year — at least for driving.

This is what worries Illinois' state and local police. In 2018, 15 people died in crashes in Illinois over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday; five of the deaths occurred in crashes where alcohol was involved. Partially because of this, and perhaps following from time-honored police thinking that says the best way to serve and protect people is to scare and punish them, municipal police departments across the state announced last week that they were launching a "crackdown" on unbuckled and impaired drivers over the holiday. It would be a weeklong campaign from Friday, Nov. 22 to Monday, Dec. 2., launched in cooperation with the Illinois State Police.

"We put extra officers out on overtime, funded by the Department of Transportation, over the course of the holiday campaign," Plainfield PD Traffic Sergeant Eric Munson said in relation to this crackdown. "We'll have officers out there on foot doing seat belt patrol; we'll have officers in squad cars to watch for impaired drivers."

Due to the increased police presence — and the increased level of aggressiveness with which police would be enforcing seat belt and DUI laws — the police labeled the holiday crackdown a "high-visibility" effort. State Police Public Information Officer Delila Garcia explained it thusly:

"Illinois State Police Troopers will be highly visible on the interstates and heavily traveled state routes and will aggressively enforce Fatal Four violations: Speeding, DUI, Distracted Driving and Seat Belts."

Garcia also said that those found driving drunk could face more than fines or an arrest. Anyone arrested for driving under the influence, she said, would risk having their vehicle towed.

Assurance or Oppression?

While driving drunk, unbuckled or distracted is undoubtedly dangerous, crackdowns like the one state police are currently executing still attract no shortage of criticism — some of it based on concerns of Constitutional violations, still more based on a general condemnation of punitive policing. Important sticking points in this argument are so-called DUI checkpoints or sobriety checkpoints.

Called the more friendly term "Roadside Safety Checks" by Garcia, these checkpoints often require drivers at certain sections of road to provide proof of their sobriety or face consequences. While Garcia said no checkpoints will be deployed in the west Chicago suburbs during the holiday crackdown, they are routinely used across the state, throughout the year. Garcia said that the checkpoints, "are designed to keep our roads safe and provide a deterrent for those who violate statutes contained in the Illinois Vehicle Code."

But, critics have claimed the checkpoints potentially violate the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protections against arbitrary search and seizure. This is especially true if the possibility exists for a driver's vehicle to be searched or confiscated without consent while at the checkpoint. It's because of this concern over the Fourth Amendment that 12 states — Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming — actually prohibit and/or do not conduct DUI checkpoints.

Ethical and Constitutional criticism aside, the Center for Disease Control has published studies suggesting that "crackdown" techniques, including checkpoints, are effective to varying degrees at deterring unsafe driving behavior and reducing traffic fatalities. According to one study in Utah, high visibility enforcement of seat belt laws alone resulted in an 8 percent increase in overall seat belt use throughout the state.

Screw it, dude. Let's go drinking.

Of course, none of the concerns of health care workers or threats by state police are going to stop people from drinking on Wednesday; not with the promise of a day off and heavy foods on Thursday to help cushion the hangover. Already, numerous bars and breweries across the western suburbs are preparing for a big night.

DOC's Smokehouse in Mokena, for example, will be hosting their third annual "Barrel Aged Black Wednesday," an event featuring dozens of dark barrel-aged beers.

"Every year we do a bourbon barrel beer night," the General Manager of DOC's Smokehouse, John Stokes, said. "We've got, I think, like thirty or forty types of [bourbon barrel-aged] beers on tap."

In Plainfield, Garage Band Brewery's Bar Manager Colleen Kelly said that they'll be open extended hours — from noon to 11 p.m. — and feature live music by local artist Matt Shukin.

When asked about what safety precautions DOC's is taking on the heavy drinking night, to make sure no holiday revelers get too sloshed, Stokes said, "We just monitor customers' intake, make sure they're not drinking too much ... We also serve food, which helps."

Kelly at Garage Band elaborated further in her answer, saying, "Everyone behind the bar in Illinois has to have what you call a BASSET certification, so that everyone is trained and everyone understands when too much is too much... I take a lot of pride in my staff; they know when to tell people to drink some water or get a slice of pizza."

Be prepared for anything - but keep it loose

For our unnamed firefighter, Blackout Wednesday is just another workday. He said he expects to drink a lot of caffeine over the course of his shift, but otherwise will try to think of it — as he tries to think of all holidays — as just another day. He said that on days he expects to be busy, he appreciates having a good crew, so that no one person feels overwhelmed by the demands of the job.

And in the course of talking with Patch, he gave what might be the best advice possible for anyone trying to enjoy the holiday weekend, not piss off the police and stay safe all in the meanwhile.

"Especially for the holidays, we always try to keep it loose," he said. "Be ready for anything, but keep it loose."