PATROLS GEAR UP FOR BUSY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND

Law enforcement agencies in Missouri and Illinois will be out in full force this Fourth of July weekend in an effort to apprehend drunken drivers and prevent accidents.

Extra patrols will be on duty, paying special attention to speed, seat-belt usage and alcohol-related violations. The patrols Friday evening through Monday are part of a national program called Combined Accident Reduction Effort (CARE).

Motorists are urged to call star 55 on their cell phones if they notice erratic drivers or see motorists broken down, said Sgt. Brent Davis of the Missouri Highway Patrol in Poplar Bluff.

On the night of June 26 in Johnson and Union counties in Illinois, State Police issued 70 tickets during its Alcohol Countermeasures Enforcement (ACE) program, which is designed to remove impaired drivers from high-rise areas of two-lane roads. Forty-six tickets were warnings and 24 were citations for speeding, drunken driving and other violations.

The ACE patrols are funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said Trooper Dale Poole, safety education officer for Illinois State Police District 22 at Ullin.

"We usually conduct the patrols in the evenings when impaired drivers are most likely traveling the highways," said Poole. "Some months we conduct two of the patrols. Other months we only have one patrol."

ACE patrols also been conducting surveys at every liquor establishment in District 22, which covers Alexander, Pulaski, Union, Johnson, Massac, Pope and Hardin counties.

Purpose of the surveys is to determine which establishments are selling alcoholic beverages to minors. State Police investigators have observed minors purchasing beer from 40 businesses across the district, he said.

Recently, investigators revisited the 40 busineses and found that seven had again sold beer to minors. The names of the seven second-time violators were turned over to county prosecuting attorneys.

Nationwide, seven young people 15 to 20 years old die each day in alcohol-related crashes, said Lt. Phillip Sylvester, District 22 commander.

Also out in force this weekend will be water patrols. A large number of boaters are expected on waterways this weekend.