Secretary of State Cracks Down on Police for DUI Paperwork

Today, the Chicago Tribune reminds us that nobody is perfect, even government employees. According to the Secretary of State, police officers have not been diligent in sending in statutory summary suspensions, which the state uses to revoke licenses from those arrested for a DUI. Without that DUI paperwork, the state is unaware of whose licenses to revoke. Police departments, on the other hand, insist that they have been sending in their paperwork. Whose fault this issue is will be difficult to pinpoint, but regardless, it points to a lack of communication and a lack of diligence, seemingly on both sides.

In order to correct this problem, the Secretary of State will be sending letters this week to all Illinois police departments to remind officers to send in the DUI paperwork. On top of that, the state will post notices in their newsletters and other forms of communication to stress the importance of sending the statutory summary suspensions so that drunk drivers cannot continue to drive. This issue will be discussed at length during a hearing in which the state’s traffic safety task force and DUI advocates will participate. Finally, the Secretary of State will also team up with the Illinois State Police to create a way for all Illinois police officers to file the DUI paperwork electronically.