See a drunk on the road on New year's Eve? Call Kane Co. for $100

With the biggest party night of the year Monday, police will be on the lookout for drunken drivers.

And so should you -- if you could use $100.

To encourage citizens to report impaired drivers on New Year's Eve, the Kane County state's attorney's office -- in conjunction with the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists and with the assistance of local police -- will implement Drunkbusters.

The program, launched in 1990 by the Schaumburg-based anti-drunken driving group, gives tipsters a $100 reward if their report to police ends in a DUI arrest. It is funded through court fines paid by DUI offenders.

Already in place in DuPage, Lake, Will and McHenry counties, the program has awarded more than $300,000 since its inception.

Here's how it works: The tipster must witness an impaired driver and call 911, providing a description of the vehicle and the erratic driving, the car's location, direction of travel and license plate number. A responding officer still must establish probable cause before stopping the vehicle.

The reporting witness then must follow through with police to determine if an arrest was made. If so, the witness must complete a verification form, which must be signed by a representative of the police agency stating that an arrest occurred based on his or her tip. AAIM then will give the tipster $100.

"Since its inception, the Drunkbusters program has removed more than 3,000 dangerous drivers from our roadways," said Charlene Chapman, AAIM's executive director. "Every impaired motorist is a potential killer. With the cooperation of citizens, police and the support of Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti, Drunkbusters will prove to be a highly valuable lifesaving program."

Barsanti said his office "will continue to explore and implement every tool available to combat drunk driving."