NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT

31 Riverside Rd., Riverside, Illinois 60546

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 March 2016
Contact:

Sgt. Jeff Miller 708 447 2127 llmiller@riverside.il.us

Chief Tom Weitzel
708-447-2127

The Riverside Police Department announces St. Patricks Day

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Crackdown results
Riverside, IL The Riverside Police Department made 2 drunk-driving arrests during the recent St.
Patricks Day crackdown, said Sergeant Miller. In addition, 8 seat belt
citations were written.
Riverside Officers stopped a total of 35 vehicles and issued a total of
58 tickets. In addition to 2 drunk driving arrests, the Riverside Police
Department also made one arrest for driving while suspended and one
felony arrest for Aggravated Driving while Revoked (and the revocation was
for prior DUI arrests).
In 2014, on average, 1 person was killed every 53 minutes in a drunkdriving crash in the United States. That means there was a total of 9,967 drunk-driving fatalities that
year in America. These enforcement crackdowns are vital because too many people are not heeding
the message -- Drunk driving is deadly and illegal said Sergeant Miller.
Alcohol not only dangerously impairs your driving skillsit impairs your judgment. Anytime you see a
friend drinking alcohol, make sure they dont plan to drive home, Sergeant Miller continued.
The Riverside Police Department joined forces with other state and local law enforcement and highway
safety partners in the Illinois St. Patricks Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown.
The crackdown was funded by federal traffic safety funds through the Illinois Department of
Transportation, and is part of the statewide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket
campaigns.
Riverside Officers used the departments new unmarked Ford Explorer as part of this enforcement
mission. The Squad was fully funded with grant dollars.