During its holiday STEP Campaign from December 19, 2011 – January 1, 2012 the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) supplemented its regular patrol schedule by eleven (11) additional hours with a focus on impaired driving and safety belt enforcement. As a result of the increased enforcement, the extra patrol details made one DUI arrest and issued five additional tickets. The PCSO also participated in a Roadside Safety Check in conjunction with the Illinois State Police on December 10, 2011.

Financed through a Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office was able to increase traffic safety enforcement – namely impaired driving enforcement – during its Thanksgiving campaign. This effort marked the second in a series of similar campaigns the Sheriff’s Office will be conducting during the holiday seasons over the next year. The next enhanced enforcement effort will be a St. Patrick’s Day campaign from March 12-20. The Sheriff’s Office was awarded $7,659.45 from the State’s Division of Traffic Safety to be used for these enhanced safety restraint and impaired driving enforcement efforts. This is the second year the Sheriff’s Office has received funds through the STEP grant.

The purpose of STEP is to lower the incidence of motor vehicle crashes – and their resulting injuries and fatalities – through increased highly visible enforcement of safety belt use and impaired driving during national and state enforcement campaigns. The stepped-up, year-long traffic enforcement focuses on specific times of year and on specific times of day when data shows impaired driving and unbuckled fatalities are highest. The increased patrol presence deters potential impaired drivers and potential unbuckled drivers. Through the STEP campaign, increased traffic enforcement has a positive impact on reducing serious injuries and fatalities on our roads.

For more information on the STEP grant, please call the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office at 697-8515.