Naperville second in DUI arrests in 2012

Naperville was second in the state in DUI arrests made last year, while Itasca logged the most DUI arrests per officer, according to the annual survey taken by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists.

Itasca had almost 12 arrests per sworn officer among police departments with at least 200 arrests. The second-highest rate was 8.6 in Bull Valley.

For the sixth consecutive year, Rockford led the state in DUI arrests with 699 arrests for 2012. Because of its size, Chicago is in its own category.

Naperville was second with 576 arrests, followed by Springfield, with 460; Peoria, 426, Decatur, 408; Carol Stream, 389; Aurora, 330; Elmhurst, 324; and Rock Island, 323.

“Departments that make more DUI arrests do not necessarily pinpoint more drunk drivers in Illinois communities,” said Rita Kreslin, Executive Director of AAIM. “It does indicate additional active enforcement in municipalities and counties, which aides in targeting DUI offenders.”

The biggest increase in arrests among the top departments was DeKalb, where DUI arrests jumped by 44 percent last year. Other municipalities with large increases from 2011 to 2010 are Peoria (39.2 percent), Fairview Heights (34 percent), Hanover Park (25.9 percent) and Aurora (13.8 percent).

Since 1990, AAIM has conducted an annual survey of Illinois police departments to determine how many DUI arrests they make and to give recognition to the most productive departments and police officers. Nearly 700 police agencies were surveyed with 84 percent responding.