DeKalb Police issue citations from roadside checks

By ALAN EDRINN

Despite inclement weather, DeKalb Police issued 29 citations during roadside safety checks Monday night.

The checks, which took place from 7 p.m. to midnight at Stock Building Supply, 1926 Sycamore Road, saw an estimated several hundred cars. No drunk drivers or open containers of alcohol were found and the majority of the citations were for uninsured motorists, said Sgt. James McDougall of the DeKalb Police Department.

During the checks, 10 cars at a time were pulled into the lanes to check the driver’s license and insurance. If the driver was in violation, they were pulled out of the lane to stop the slowing of the other cars.

Driver’s given citations were given I-bonds without being booked and were allowed to be picked up by a valid driver, McDougall said.

The heavy rain was a factor in the checks and forced the police to call off checks for several minutes at a time, he said.

The checks are normally performed during major holidays, McDougall said, and the majority of citations are for insurance or driver’s license violations, with only a few DUIs.

The roadside safety check, which was a joint operation between the DeKalb and Illinois State Police, was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The grant is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety. The Illinois State Police could not be reached for comment on citation counts as of press time.