Money used from beginning of last Friday through Halloween weekend

The Carbondale Police Department received its first ever Mini-Alcohol Enforcement Program Grant to help combat alcohol-related crashes and seatbelt violations.

The grant, which was given to the department from the Illinois Department of Transportation last week, totals $20,495. The enforcement period began Friday and will end on Halloween, Carbondale Police Officer Randy Mathis said.

The grant will pay for extra officers, a camera unit for a squad car and mouthpieces for breathalyzer machines during the enforcement period, Mathis said.

Other local police departments are also receiving grants for similar enforcement times around southern Illinois.

The SIUC Police Department exhausted its grants for traffic-related enforcement and is looking at starting another operation in late November, SIUC Police Chief Todd Sigler said.

Although paperwork isn’t finalized, Sigler said the enforcement period should put extra officers on the street to combat driving under the influence of alcohol and seatbelt violations from Nov. 21 to Dec. 4. The program should last through to next year.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department also received a grant for $42,000, but the paperwork has not been finalized from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The state grant is for alcohol and traffic and has been scheduled for late November. The program should continue into January, O’Leary said.

When arrested for driving under the influence in Jackson County, Mathis said violators are required to post a $300 cash bond or $100 and a valid Illinois driver’s license. Failure to use a seatbelt could result in a fine of $50.

Reporter Matthew McConkey can be reached at [email protected]