For a police chief of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, a drunk driving incident left him with a lot more than a fine and record—it left him unemployed. The 66-year-old was found to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .23, much higher than the legal limit of .08%. The Chief’s story is one of hundreds that occur across our state every year and it just goes to show that anyone can be convicted of DUI and that the repercussions are often far-reaching. read more

It’s been a year since the state enacted the Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) program. At the time it was believed the program would reduce recidivism on DUI offenders. One year later, the program still has its critics. read more

Halloween marks another “No refusal” DUI sting taking place in Kane County. read more

In a show of legal sanity, some law enforcement agencies in Kane County are not willing to go along with “no refusal” weekend DUI enforcement programs pushed by prosecutors. read more

On November 30^th of last year Benjamin Nichols was driving under the influence of alcohol when he entered the path of an oncoming vehicle. Just this past week, Nichols was sentenced to 4 years probation for this life changing accident.

When he crossed into oncoming traffic he hit a vehicle. The accident claimed two victims, passengers in Nichols vehicle. The victims were both 20 year old females and friends of Nichols as well. read more

This report from The Herald and Review chronicles one night as the reporter rides along with Macon County Sherriff’s Deputy Kris Thompson, on the lookout for DUI offenders. Thompson is a full-time DUI officer, responsible for many DUI arrests in Macon County every month. He is called to many roadside stops to conduct field sobriety tests for other officers, recording it all on his dashboard camera.

Spotting someone driving without their safety belt or swerving over the center line is enough for Deputy Thompson to stop a vehicle for further investigation. Once the odor of alcohol has been detected or if the person appears intoxicated, he can then ask them to undergo field sobriety testing to determine if an arrest is necessary.

The article is an interesting insight into the world of Illinois drunk driving arrests. Deputy Thompson states that 2 DUI arrests make for a “good” night. Certainly he means this as a “good” night in keeping the roadways safe. That is, after all, his job. read more

A dashboard camera has opened up a can of worms for Chicago Police Officer Joe Parker. He recently arrested a man on suspicion of DUI stating in his report that the man, Raymond Bell failed the field sobriety test. The Officer’s camera tells a different story and has many questioning his DUI track record.

Officer Parker is one of a few officers who have received kudos for having the highest DUI arrest rates in the area. Now, however, many of those arrests are under review as people wonder how many of them were trumped up by an officer seeking praise.

The report of the evening in question had several discrepancies with the events that played out on camera. Officer Parker fabricated the speed at which the defendant was traveling, stating he was going close to 80 when the actual speed was 40 mph. He also mentioned that Bell staggered and stumbled his way through a field sobriety test, when the camera showed a man who was balanced and composed.

A similar case involving another officer has led to the dismissal of 156 DUI cases, a waste of taxpayer money and a huge inconvenience for those who were falsely arrested. read more

This is one of the more unusual DUI arrests in the news recently. A 17 year old Indiana girl was arrested on charges of DUI, reckless driving, and several other serious traffic violations.

It was 6:30 am, and she had several friends in the car with her. She failed a breath test. At 6:30am.  Her friends were also ticketed for underage drinking.

Oh yeah, and lastly, she was clocked at 118 mph on I-65.  Apparently she was afraid of being late for school. Indeed.

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If you are facing with a DUI charge, or other criminal/traffic violation in Illinois, please contact us for a free legal consultation on your situation.

Even Illinois county prosecutors have questions and concerns about the implementation of Illinois’ tough new drunk driving laws, that goes into effect in January ’09.

In this article, prosecutors are openly skeptical about whether or not this requirement for Breath Alchohol Ignition Interlock Devices, will curtail people from driving. The BAIID doesn’t allow a person’s car to start unless they blow into a device – essentially a rolling breathalyzer – and pass the test.

One of the primary concerns is whether this law will actually reduced incidents of drunk driving. Will the people who are the most dangerous and most likely to continue to drive after drinking actually abide by the restriction? A person could either simply not get the device installed (and obviously not have a valid license) or could still borrow a vehicle from another person.

The Interlock system creates a large bureaucracy around this law – and a significant profit center for BAIID installers and manufacterers, so it would be nice if everyone was confident it would help.

An additional concern raised by the DUI prosecutors in the article is the cost structure. Many courts have difficultly collecting fines and fees after DUI convictions as it is. There are numerous court fees and payments, including probation costs, that the court tries to collect.

Is this just setting poor and working class people up to fail? If a person absolutely has to drive to keep a job, does that mean he or she get an IID and skip paying court fees, that could result in a probation violation? Or do you skip the ignition interlock, and drive without one, risking a new criminal charge for that offense?

These concerns are legitimate, and everyone should be confident that the benefits of this new law will outweigh the costs and difficulties for the Illinois courts and our citizens.

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Charged with drunk driving? For a free consultation on Illinois new DUI laws, please contact us today.

Starting on January 1, 2009, any driver convicted of a DUI / drunk driving charge, even a first offense, will be required to have a (BAIID) breath alcohol igntion interlock device in any vehicle he or she drivers.

Stats from recent IL news articles and also here that discuss this law include interesting facts, such as:

• The devices are calibrated to not start at a .025% BAC, which is the level of about 1 drink for an average sized person. (The legal limit for BAC in Illinois is .08%, so it is well below “intoxication” levels).
• Costs for the device will be about $1000. Presumably, that is over a year, including installation and monthly maintenance fees (including regular downloads of logged data on every use).
• It is estimated that 50,000 Illinois drivers will get one of these devices in 2009, if drunk driving conviction numbers are consistent. That is a huge number.(
• Driving vehicle without an interlock if your license requires it will result in a separate criminal charge (a Class 4 Felony) and a mandatory minimum 30 days in jail.

More info: Here is an official press release on the new Illinois BAIID laws.