Buffalo Grove moving more cases out of court system

The success of Buffalo Grove's administrative adjudication process so far has village officials already expanding it.

Launched in January, the program has shifted cases involving parking, non-moving traffic and ordinance violations away from the Lake County courthouse to a village hearing officer who handles matters closer to home for both police officers and residents.

The expansion will add citations handed out to drivers caught using their cellphones behind the wheel.

In a recent memo to the village board, Police Chief Steven Casstevens said the cost of implementing the program amounted to more than $71,000, including $35,000 for software, $6,000 for the hearing officer and more than $5,000 for a prosecutor. The savings, however, amounted to more than $170,000, including nearly $20,000 in reduced overtime costs.