Elgin police stops up last month after decline in 2015

Elgin police conducted an unusually high number of traffic stops in January after a downward trend last year, which officials attributed to a variety of factors.

There were 10 traffic-related deaths last year in Elgin, the most since 2006, which prompted police to include traffic safety and enforcement among its goals for the new year, Cmdr. Ana Lalley said.

"At the end of year we do our review of our department goals. We have a full supervisors' meeting and that was part of the bigger discussion," she said. "We talked about it, but there's not been any type of, 'Hey, everybody, let's go make traffic stops.'"

Data obtained by the Daily Herald shows Elgin police last month conducted 1,591 traffic stops, far more than any other month since at least early 2012. There were 11,928 traffic stops in 2015 compared to 13,369 in 2014, or a nearly 11 percent drop. The decline started in March and lasted through December.

Police also conducted 19 percent fewer pedestrian stops in 2015, or 1,192 compared to 1,475 in 2014. There were 58 such stops in January compared to 62 in January 2015 and 31 in January 2014.

Another factor, Lalley said, was that due to the state's budget impasse, Elgin police didn't receive a $100,000 traffic grant in October from the Illinois Department of Transportation, which typically results in about 100 additional stops per month including for DUI, cellphone, speeding and seat belt enforcement.

The weather can affect the number of stops, especially pedestrian, which are usually higher in the summer. Staffing levels play a role, too, she said. Also, police have less time for traffic stops when they respond to more calls for service, Lalley said. Elgin experienced the highest number of shootings in eight years in 2015, but there were fewer thefts and burglaries.

It's difficult to say whether officers were less inclined to make stops due to the national spotlight on incidents involving police, Lalley said.

"That is so hard to determine because morale is not a measurable thing. It's relative to people," she said. "I think officers are aware of national events. However, we are professionals and we continue to do our jobs as professionals."

She pointed to January 2016 as proof officers are doing their jobs as usual. "They're expected to come here and be engaged and fulfill the department's goals - and they do."

Edward W. Hoes, executive director of the Illinois Police Association, said he's not aware of a trend of declining traffic stops among police departments. "The statistics go up and down," he said.

Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois, praised Elgin for tracking its pedestrian stops even before a new law went into effect Jan. 1. "It's a very good thing," he said.

The Police and Community Relations Improvement Act requires police to, among other things, file a "stop card" whenever a pedestrian is frisked, searched, summoned or arrested. Chicago and Joliet also previously tracked pedestrian stops, but a majority of law enforcement agencies either didn't or didn't share that publicly, he said.

While any change above 10 percent can be considered significant, the total number of stops conducted by police agencies typically ebbs and flows year to year, Yohnka said.

"I think (Elgin's) explanation is in line with what we've seen historically, both statewide and in other places."