Survey: Naperville Second in State for DUI Arrests

With 576 arrests for impaired driving in 2012, the Naperville Police Department ranks second in the state for total DUI arrests among non-Chicago municipal departments, second only to Rockford police, according to the results of a Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists survey released Tuesday.

The data does come with the caveat that Naperville is also the fifth-largest city in the state. “Departments that make more DUI arrests do not necessarily pinpoint more drunk drivers in Illinois communities,” said Rita Kreslin, Executive Director of AAIM, in a press release.

“[However,] it does indicate additional active enforcement in municipalities and counties, which aides in targeting DUI offenders.”

The DUI arrest rate per sworn officer in Naperville was 3.79, only a third of the largest in the state (Itasca, with 11.48 DUI arrests per sworn officer.)

“One reason AAIM continues to survey and report the number of impaired driving arrests throughout Illinois because traffic safety advocates believe that drunk drivers who are arrested are the fortunate ones," AAIM Board Vice President and crash survivor, Marti Belluschi said in the release.

"In our impaired driving prevention programs, we always remind people that if they are driving drunk they are lucky if it is a cop that stops them, rather than a tree, another car or a small child."

Read the full story at the AAIM website.