The Park Forest Police Department this week announced it issued 101 citations during the Memorial Day "Click It or Ticket" enforcement period.
During the campaign, which ran for 11 days from May 17 through May 28, the department wrote 48 citations for seat belt violations and took the following additional actions:
- 2 child car seat citations
- 18 distracted driving citations
- 8 speeding citations
- 28 miscellaneous citations
- 7 traffic arrests
Park Forest Police Deputy Chief Kristopher Vallow called the campaign a success.
"In just under two weeks, 94 vehicle stops were made by the officers working the grant, resulting in seven arrests for people driving without a driver's license, and 101 citations being issued," Vallow said. "That is a lot of citizen contacts, resulting in educating and re-enforcement from the officers to the motoring public."
Vallow added, "Also, drivers tend to slow down and become more observant once they encounter an officer enforcing traffic laws."
The "Click It or Ticket" campaign is funded with federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation. IDOT awarded the Park Forest Police Department $28,000 for the 23-24 fiscal year.
Vallow said the funding equates to 400 additional hours for officers to work, focusing primarily on the efforts to make the roadways in Park Forest safer. The grant is entirely federally funded, and the fiscal year is from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024.
Vallow added that Park Forest Police will have another campaign coming up in the summer, this one covering Independence Day for Buckle Up Illinois.
"Our next campaign will start later this month focusing on occupant protection," Vallow said. "Even though the focus is on occupant protection, officers are encouraged to look out for any infractions contributing to traffic crashes and injuries."