Channahon police win traffic award
By Jeanne Millsap For The Herald-News September 14, 2012 3:02PM
Channahon police officers Daniel Kostal and Dustin Carlson presented the first-place Traffic Safety Challenge trophy to their village board. | Jeanne Millsap ~ For Sun-Times Media
Updated: October 18, 2012 6:04AM
CHANNAHON — The Channahon Police Department has risen from third place in 2009, to second place in 2010, and is now the first-place winner for the 2011 Illinois Chiefs’ Traffic Safety Program’s Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge.
Officers Daniel Kostal and Dustin Carlson presented the trophy to the village board recently for the honor earned in the 11-25 officer category.
The challenge, the officers explained, is designed for law enforcement agencies to conduct programs aimed at reducing vehicular accidents. Three of the programs the Channahon police conducted during the year that helped them earn the honor were Road to Reality, officer participation in high school driver’s education classes and an increase in patrols for DUIs and seat belt infractions.
The department held its first Road to Reality program at Minooka High School last year. The event promotes DUI awareness. Both Kostal and Carlson also taught a class at the high school’s driver’s ed program that highlighted the dangers of texting while driving and other reckless behaviors.
A grant from the state in 2011 also put more officers on Channahon’s streets, upping patrols for DUIs and seat-belt violations.
Village President Joe Cook thanked the officers for their coordination of the program and diligent work on the projects. The entire police department is also to be acknowledged, he said.
“This award is indicative of the teamwork of the department,” Cook said.
The programs paid off, too. Over the year, the village had fewer DUI crashes and DUI arrests, and seat-belt compliance also increased.
