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DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) – The Decatur Police Department ranked among the top agencies in the state for DUI arrests in 2022. But that’s not unusual – they started cracking down more than a decade ago and haven’t slowed down since.
An annual Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists survey shows the D ecatur Police Department made 289 DUI arrests last year – the second-highest after the Aurora Police Department. Chicago was in its own category because of its size.
In 2020 and 2021, Decatur took first place. But Chief Shane Brandel says it’s not about the numbers, and there’s an important reason they made this a priority in the first place.
“Our goal is not to make arrests. Our goal is to keep the roadway safe and to save lives, and I’m certain that we’ve done that over the years,” Brandel said.
In October of 2005, 37-year-old Officer Robin Vogel was on patrol when a drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into her squad car. Vogel’s memorial page says the driver had a blood-alcohol content over twice the legal limit and died instantly. She died in the hospital two days later.
“That one was a wake up call for us as an agency, because we weren’t very aggressive with DUI enforcement prior to that,” Brandel said.
Brandel says losing an officer in the line of duty pushed the department to prioritize removing impaired drivers from the road. More than a decade later, he says it’s become ingrained in their culture.
“Anyone here that has less than 15 years on [the department] doesn’t know anything different,” he said.
The topic of their strict DUI enforcement came up during a June 20 city council meeting.
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“People are very conscious of the fact that drinking and driving does not work in Decatur because Decatur police will arrest you. So people don’t want to drink in bars and get to know our police officers,” Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said on June 20.
It started with one business owner who was concerned about changes that could be made to video gaming regulations – part of what he sees as a big picture threat to bar profitability.
“People are not drinking in bars. They just aren’t. everybody’s scared to death of getting DUIs. So that has made our bar revenue decline substantially,” business owner Mark Allen said on June 20.
Brandel says DUIs are a legitimate public safety concern – revenue isn’t.
“What would they say if somebody was on their lot shooting at people?” Brandel said. “Because driving a car while drunk is… you might as well just be shooting into a crowd.”
He says bar owners could start programs encouraging patrons to use designated drivers and rideshare services.
“Rather than to say, ‘well, I’m losing business because people don’t want to get drunk and drive home.’ Well, good. I’m glad they’re not getting drunk and driving home. And I’m not apologetic about that,” Brandel said.
While Decatur police have consistently ranked among the top five agencies making DUI arrests, Brandel says numbers are declining statewide. He believes it’s due to a combination of aggressive enforcement, encouraging responsible driving habits and evolving societal norms.
