Normal PD to increase Independence Day traffic enforcement

NORMAL (25News Now) - Normal Police are gearing up for a busy Fourth of July, sending extra manpower to the roads to make sure people are safe during the holiday.

With a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, the department will deploy two to three officers to patrol traffic each shift, specifically focusing on seatbelt safety and impaired driving.

Public Information Officer Brad Park said the grant will allow them to pay the extra time worked and officers needed for this yearly safety campaign.

“Summer definitely raises the number of impaired drivers that we see around Central Illinois during the Fourth of July weekend and the weekends that kind of surround the Fourth of July,” he said. “It’s kind of the peak of that during the summer, so getting these additional officers on the streets allows us to make the roads safer.”

Normal PD will partner with the Illinois State Police and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies across the state to conduct the additional patrols.

The campaign began June 19 and will continue through July 9.

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