The Bourbonnais’ police chief recently proposed issuing local citations in lieu of state citations for minor traffic violations.
Chief Jim Phelps raised the issue at the November meeting of the Bourbonnais Police Committee.
Phelps said issuing local citations would ultimately save the village money by cutting down on overtime for police officers who have to go to court two to three times for each state citation issued, as well as reducing mileage put on village-owned vehicles used to travel to and from court.
In addition, the chief said that the change would generate more income for the village since funds received from the citations would go directly to the community’s general fund.
As it stands now, many state cases that go through the circuit court system are eventually dismissed, which has resulted in officers being reluctant to issue citations, Phelps said.
The police chief said local citations could be offered for such violations as failing to reduce speed, following too closely and improper lane usage. Cases involving such violations as DUIs, lack of insurance and suspended licences, however, would still have to go through the circuit court.
Phelps and the town attorney continue to research how other police departments handle local citation issuance.
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