Campton relaxes stance on drugs, alcohol

Campton Hills police now have the option of writing a ticket rather than making an arrest when it comes to minor drug and alcohol offenses.

The village board this month enacted a policy giving police discretion over whether first-time offenders are charged in criminal court or under local ordinances in cases involving "small amounts" of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, alcohol possession and curfew infractions.

Police Chief Greg Anderson said those who are ticketed have 14 days to pay a fine - $250 in most cases - or they face full prosecution.

"The idea is to have enough of a financial impact to stop the behavior, but the person also gets the benefit of not having a criminal record following them around the rest of their life," he said. "A $250 fine generally for a first-time offender would be more than a court might order. I don't think it's a free pass."

The unanimous decision by village leaders follows related efforts nearby. In September, a similar ordinance goes into effect in unincorporated Cook County, and Anderson said the village of Sugar Grove often handles drug and alcohol cases the same way.

"My impression is, it's going more and more in this direction," he said. In Campton Hills, only first-time offenders can be ticketed rather than arrested and, in marijuana cases, only those involving amounts considered small enough to be for "personal use," Anderson said. Officials did not set a threshold regarding drug amounts; fines can range from $100 to $750.

The change should save time and money, Anderson said, because officers will have fewer reports to complete, fewer pieces of evidence to maintain and fewer court hearings to attend.

Last year, there were about 20 local arrests in which suspects would have been eligible for a ticket under the new policy. Anderson said the intent is not to make money.

"Since this passed (July 21), we've sent two or three people to court and charged two or three with ordinance violations," he said. "We just don't make that many arrests to really make it worthwhile financially for us to go and change ordinances and things for that reason."