The Park Forest Police Department increased patrols during Halloween weekend as part of a statewide traffic safety campaign led by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The effort aimed to reduce traffic violations and prevent crashes in the community.
Deputy Police Chief Kristopher Vallow reported that officers worked 36 hours during the enforcement period, making 60 traffic stops. These stops resulted in several citations and arrests. Officers issued 15 seat belt citations, one child restraint citation, 15 speeding citations, and 13 distracted driving citations for cellphone use. In addition, police gave out 35 other citations for offenses such as lack of insurance, disobeying traffic signals, improper lane usage, equipment violations, and unlawful transportation of alcohol or cannabis.
Three individuals were arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license. Police also made two additional arrests: one on a warrant and another for unlawful possession of more than 40 grams of cannabis.
“We used $29,470 of awarded funds, or 98 percent of what we were granted, resulting in 423 additional officer hours,” Vallow said. “This campaign allowed us to increase our presence on the roads and help maintain traffic safety during a busy holiday weekend.”
Vallow added that the department recently received $33,600 from IDOT for the 2025–2026 fiscal year. This grant could fund about 448 extra officer hours for future campaigns focused on occupant protection and safe driving.
“The next campaign will run from Nov. 21 through Dec. 2 and will focus on occupant protection over the Thanksgiving holiday,” Vallow said. “We’ll continue to use these resources to encourage safe driving behaviors and reduce traffic-related incidents in the community.”
This Halloween enforcement marked Park Forest Police’s first IDOT-funded effort for the current fiscal year and is part of ongoing work to improve roadway safety within the Village.
The Village of Park Forest operates under a council-manager form of government with a mayor and six trustees as its governing body according to its official website. The village promotes community health through various programs (source) and has been recognized for sustainability efforts in town planning (source). It aims to deliver municipal services through collaboration and innovation (source).
