Survey: Woodridge Cops Hand Out Fewer DUIs Than Most

As we head into one of the most dangerous times of year for drunk driving—the Fourth of July—a survey ranks the Woodridge Police Department 47th in the state for arrests for driving under the influence (DUI).

The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) released the results of its survey Tuesday. Nearly 700 police departments were surveyed for the organization’s 21^st annual DUI arrest survey.

Woodridge reported 99 DUI arrests in 2010, ranking 75^th among the reporting departments. The Rockford Police Department was ranked No. 1 with 727 arrests.

The Naperville Police Deaprtment handed out the most DUI citations in the surrounding area, dishing out 671 DUI arrests in 2010, ranking it second.

The survey also suggests that Woodridge cops hand out less DUIs per officer than most neighboring communities.

According to the study, Woodridge cops hand out 1.90 DUIs per officer. That's lower than Darien (2.59), Downers Grove (2.52) and Lisle (2.51) but higher than Bolingbrook (1.42). 

The Alliance said in a news release that the most significant deterrents to impaired driving are law enforcement and DUI arrests.

“AAIM is always particularly pleased to announce the increases in impaired driving arrests,” said AAIM board vice president and crash survivor Marti Belluschi in a news release.

“Traffic safety advocates believe that drunk drivers who are arrested are the fortunate ones. 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."

The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists is an Illinois-only citizen activist group founded in 1982 by victims of drunken driving. The Alliance’s mission revolves around prevention, victim advocacy and legislation. A grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation funded the survey.

Here's how the rest of the surrounding communities fared (sorted by number of DUI citations):