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Community Corner

No Refusal Operation Planned to Combat Drunken Driving Around Halloween in Kane County

On Oct. 28-30, police officers will be able to quickly obtain search warrants to compel motorists arrested on suspicion of DUI and who refuse breathalyzer tests to submit to requested blood or breath testing.

To combat historically elevated drunken driving levels around Halloween, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office and various Kane County police departments are planning a No Refusal operation throughout the county.

No Refusal enables officers to quickly obtain search warrants to compel motorists arrested on suspicion of DUI and who refuse breathalyzer tests to submit to requested blood or breath testing as required by Illinois Implied Consent statute, according to a press release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The effort assists officers in speeding up the DUI booking process, which allows them to record more accurate blood-alcohol levels in drunken driving suspects.

The No Refusal periods will take place late Oct. 28 through early Oct. 29 and late Oct. 29 through early Oct. 30.

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The Halloween No Refusal effort is designed to curb a marked increase in the number of DUI-related traffic fatalities that occur around the holiday, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 48 percent of all highway fatalities nationwide on Halloween night in 2009 involved a motorist with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher.

Kane County’s first No Refusal operation in 2009 included 11 area municipalities; the Kane County Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Police arrested 14 drunken during a three-day effort.

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