Naperville’s No. 7 in Illinois for making the most municipal DUI arrests last year, report shows
Naperville ranks among the top 10 municipalities in the state for the most driving under the influence arrests in 2022, according to an annual report from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists.
The Naperville Police Department reported 224DUI arrests were made in 2022 — down three from 227in 2021 — placing the city seventh compared to other Illinois communities, other than Chicago, the AAIM report shows.
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said keeping the city’s roadways safe will always be a top priority for his department, and DUI enforcement is a critical component of that.
“Driving under the influence is an extremely dangerous, potentially deadly decision that impacts everyone on the road, not just the person driving,” Arres said.
The message seems to have taken hold for many given the number of DUI arrests made in Naperville last year was half what it was a decade ago.
In 2012, Naperville police recorded 576 DUI arrests, which was down 7% from 622 in 2011.
Back then, Naperville was second in the state behind Rockford, which reported 699 DUI arrests in 2012.
Arres said the advent of ride-share apps has offered increasing opportunities for individuals to get home without putting themselves and others at risk by driving under the influence.
“We will continue to educate motorists on the dangers of DUI and encourage the use of ride-shares, sober drivers or other safe means to travel when impaired,” he said.
AAIM, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing deaths and injuries caused by chemically impaired or distracted drivers of motor vehicles or watercraft, has for the last 33 years tallied the results of its Illinois DUI arrest survey. The effort is funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The organization uses the compiled data each year to recognize the most productive police departments and individual officers in the state in regards to DUI law enforcement.
Aurora led the state with 339 DUI arrests, followed by Decatur (289), Lombard (287), Rockford (283), Franklin Park (250), Elgin (234). Naperville and Elmhurst tied for seventh at 224, according to AAIM figures.
Rounding out the top 10 was Normal with 217, Bloomington with 215 and Edwardsville with 196.
Because of its size and number of sworn officers, Chicago is a separate category.
Nearly 700 police agencies were surveyed by AAIM, and 82% responded.
Comparing Illinois counties, Will with 178 DUI arrests ranked third in the state, according to AAIM, behind Winnebago and Lake counties, which had 515 and 279 respectively.
DuPage County was 14th with 70 DUI arrests.
AAIM also recognized three Naperville officers for the most DUI arrests in the department in 2022: Brian McDermott with 19 and Kristen Amato and Joshua Fields with 16 each.
The officer with the most 2022 DUI arrests in the state, AAIM said, was Trooper Kevin Bradley of the Illinois State Police who made 145 arrests. The next highest was Chicago District 12 Officer Joshua Zumarraga with 129.
