Carmi – Illinois State Police (ISP) District 19 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, announces the ISP will conduct an Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrol in Wabash and Edwards Counties during November.

ACE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol or drugs.

The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois. Officers working the detail will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, transporting open alcoholic beverages, and most importantly:

- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);

- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;

- Speeding;

- Distracted Driving;

and, - All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations.

Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. There is one alcohol-related traffic fatality every 53 minutes in the United States. The ACE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous DUI offenders from the road. This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Also, Carmi – Illinois State Police (ISP) District 19 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, announces the ISP will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, White, Hamilton, Saline and Gallatin Counties during November. OREPs allow the ISP to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws. Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers (front and back) to buckle up! Safety belts are still one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles, estimated to save nearly 14,000 lives each year. Half of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash were not properly buckled up. The objective of this program is to increase occupant restraint compliance through education, child seat inspections, and enforcement.