Being charged with a DUI can lead to long-term penalties that greatly reduce your liberty, financial well-being, and ability to navigate the world. If you are convicted of a DUI, your life may never be the same.
Understanding how STEP works in Illinois, while speaking with an experienced Chicago DUI defense attorney, can help you obtain the legal outcome you need.
STEP: Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program
The phrase “STEP” stands for “Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program.” STEP is a data-driven grant initiative funded by the Federal government through the NHTSA and administered by the IDOT.
STEP grants give local and county law enforcement agencies the funds needed to conduct high-visibility patrols and heightened enforcement campaigns. These patrols and enforcement campaigns serve a public safety purpose: to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities, primarily during high-risk travel periods.
DUI enforcement tends to spike during major holidays like the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. The funds for this spike in DUI enforcement tend to come through Illinois DUI grants and, by extension, STEP.
STEP Enforcement
Even though STEP serves a public safety purpose, STEP enforcement can force you to deal with serious consequences. This is because, when DUI enforcement is at its peak as a result of STEP grants, the propensity to stop and arrest is highly elevated.
During a period in which STEP funds are being deployed for heightened DUI enforcement, you might see aggressive banners like “Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over,” “Drive High. Get A DUI.,” and “Click It or Ticket.” You might also see far more police cars than normal as well, groups of roving officers, and saturation patrols. The police tend to look for things like speeding, alcohol/cannabis impairment, reckless driving, and improper lane usage. These efforts, when paired with the enhanced police presence, make it very easy to be pulled over and charged with a DUI.
On top of that, lawmakers in the state of Illinois have been trying to push House Bill 4333, which, if turned into law, would lower the legal Blood Alcohol Concentration to 0.05%. This would make Illinois one of the strictest in the nation and make it much easier for many people to be convicted of a DUI.
The Legality Of An Individual Traffic Stop Or DUI Investigation During Enhanced STEP Enforcement
STEP relies on aggressive banners and the tension created by an enhanced police presence. Despite the presence of these things, though, the police cannot pull you over in a way that violates the law.
If a police officer pulls you over in the state of Illinois, they must have a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. A reasonable suspicion is defined as “specific facts that would lead an officer to suspect a crime has been committed.” For example, someone was driving erratically or they were speeding, among other possibilities.
If you are pulled over without a reasonable suspicion, then you may have been pulled over illegally. Even if you are charged with a DUI as a result of this traffic stop, the entire case may be thrown out since the officer did not have a legal reason to pull you over.
Even though the enhanced enforcement created by the STEP program can be quite scary, you are still protected from unlawful traffic stops. If an unlawful traffic stop led to a DUI charge, contact one of our defense attorneys today.
Get Qualified Legal Help Today
When facing a DUI charge, the quality of your legal representation can shape the course of your life. At Glasgow & Olsson, we don’t just practice DUI defense—we help define it.
Thomas Glasgow is widely recognized as a leading authority on DUI law in Illinois. He lectures statewide for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, contributes to the definitive DUI legal manual used by attorneys across the state, and is a trusted legal voice on major networks including ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS, and Fox News.
When your freedom, reputation, and future are on the line, experience, judgment, and respect matter most.
Speak with our Chicago DUI defense team today and learn how decades of trusted experience can protect what matters most to you.