Which Area Police Agencies Make The Most DUI Arrests?

LIBERTYVILLE, IL – The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists released its 28th annual statewide survey of drunk driving arrests in recent weeks. The annual survey of municipal police and sheriff's departments aims to give recognition to the most productive officers and agencies in the fight against intoxicated driving. Across the state, 567 departments were surveyed for the 2017 DUI Arrest Survey, which is funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

AAIM, a Schaumburg-based nonprofit group, was founded in 1982 by victims of drunk driving to focus on victim advocacy, preventing impaired driving and legislative reform. It said the survey data provided a valuable resource to citizens by allowing people to compare the enforcement records across other communities and apply public pressure where it may be needed to make DUI enforcement a larger priority.

Patch has compiled the 2017 data for select Lake County police departments from the AAIM DUI survey. Here is a look at total arrests made in 2017 by local police agencies, sorted by agencies with the lowest arrest rates to those with the highest arrest rates:

The highest DUI arrest rates among Illinois municipalities outside of Chicago with at least 200 arrests was recorded in Lombard. The DuPage county town's 57 officers carried out 313 arrests for drunk driving in 2017 for an rate of nearly 5 1/2 arrests per officer.

The Winnebago County sheriff's office had the highest DUI arrest rate by county, and the Rockford Police Department topped the state with 490 arrests.

"One of the top priorities for the Rockford Police Department is to keep our roads safe. Arresting those who drive intoxicated or under the influence of drugs is one way we accomplish that," said Rockford Police Chief Daniel O'Shea, in a release. "Our ultimate goal is that our consistent presence on the roadway will encourage people to drive sober and safely."

The number of DUI arrests made by Chicago police decreased by 23.5 percent, from 2,592 in 2016 to 1,982 in 2017, according to AAIM.

Rita Kreslin of the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists said the progress in drunk driving enforcement at some departments was encouraging but the battle to prevent senseless traffic crashes caused by impaired drivers is far from over.

"AAIM has great respect for all these officers and departments for their aggressive DUI enforcement. We are grateful for their willingness to put forth the extra effort in removing drunk drivers from our roads," Kreslin said.

More: DUI Arrest Totals by Officer, Arrests Totals by Municipality