Illinois State Police District 16

Illinois State Police District 15 has dual-reporting responsibilities to the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Tollway. The troopers are dedicated to safety and education. District 15 troopers patrol all 292 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois and the Tollway's seven Oases.

All State Police administrative and operational policies and procedures apply to District 15, while facility and budgeting issues are administered by the Illinois Tollway. District 15 has a sworn head count of approximately 180 troopers.

Enforcement Statistics for 2015

Frequently Asked Questions

Traffic Ticket Information

Accident Information

If your vehicle is drivable, remove it from the traveled portion of the roadway as soon as possible.

Do not wait for a trooper to arrive to see where the cars were at the time of the accident. Leaving cars in the roadway creates a hazard to you and other drivers and may cause additional crashes.

If you are involved in a property damage crash with no injuries and all vehicles are drivable, go to the nearest toll plaza or Tollway maintenance facility and ask a Tollway employee to notify a trooper that you would like a crash report. Exchange information with the other drivers involved. You may also call 630-241-6800 extension 5028 and request an appointment to complete a crash report by phone. The officer taking your call will provide additional instructions.

From the other drivers involved, you will need:

• Name
• Home address
• Phone number
• Driver's license number and state
• License plate number
• Vehicle identification numbers (found on the dashboard through the windshield on the driver's side), make, model, year and type of vehicle

Request Information

To submit a written request, your request should contain as much of the following information as possible

• The agency report number - located in the upper middle portion of the accident report.
• The IDOT number - located under the bar code on the top right-hand side of the motorist report.
• The date of the accident, driver's name and/or a passenger's name.

To obtain a copy of a crash report handled by the Illinois State Police:

• Verify the Illinois State Police handled the crash report by referring to the "Investigated By" box located in the upper left corner of the report.
• If it does not indicate "Illinois State Police," please contact the listed agency to obtain a copy of your crash report.
• Go to the Illinois State Police District 15 headquarters at 2700 Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove, Illinois – south entrance.
• Submit a written request.

If you do not have a crash report, contact the Illinois State Police District 15 at 630-241-6800 extension 5010 to verify whether or not the Illinois State Police District 15 handled this crash.

Payment

Include a check or money order in the amount of $5 for accident reports or $20 for an accident reconstruction report made payable to "Illinois State Police." Please do not send cash. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Submit the written request to:

Report an Incident by Phone

Call 630-241-6800 extension 5042 to file a report for non-criminal damage, as well as incidents that don't involve injuries, tolls or hit-and-runs.

Please have the following information available when filing the report

Driver Information

• Name, address, phone number, daytime contact information, date of birth

• Driver's license number, state, classification

Vehicle Information

• Make, model, year of manufacture

• License plate number, state

• Vehicle identification number (VIN)

• Name and address of owner (if not driver)

Insurance Information

• Name of company

• Policy number

Safer Roads through Enforcement

In order to determine which police district wrote a ticket, the top middle section contains the handwritten district number. Some tickets require a court appearance and others can be paid by mail.

• If you can pay by mail: The trooper should give you an envelope with your ticket.

• If you need to appear in court: The box next to "Court Appearance Required" will be checked. This means you cannot pay by mail; you must appear in court before payment can be settled.

• Speeding in a construction zone is a mandatory $375 fine AND a court appearance.

• In any county other than DuPage, the court information will be handwritten on the bottom of your ticket above the orange box. If you are in DuPage County, a court time and date will be sent to you.

• If a District 15 trooper wrote your ticket and you have further questions, please call 630-241-6800 extension 5030.

• It is helpful to have the badge number of the trooper who wrote the ticket when you call. It is found in the lower right of the ticket.

Kids Identification and Safety Seat (K.I.S.S.) Events

The Illinois Tollway and Illinois State Police District 15 host free Kids Identification and Safety Seat (K.I.S.S.) events every summer throughout Northern Illinois.

The goals are to help keep children safe and parents worry-free – every trip, every time.

At K.I.S.S. events, certified child passenger safety technicians check child safety seats and help with proper installation. Also, specially trained professionals take photographs and fingerprints of children 3 and older and gather vital information* to include on an ID card that parents and caregivers can reference in an emergency.

** Neither Illinois State Police nor the Illinois Tollway keeps this information in a database. Once the ID card is issued to the guardian, the information is deleted.

The Importance of Safety Seat Inspections and Child Identification Cards

Why? Approximately 90 percent of child safety seats inspected by the Illinois State Police are installed improperly.

• Properly installed child safety seats significantly reduce the risk of injury or greater tragedy for children in the event of a crash.

• A properly secured child safety seat is one less distraction for drivers.

• Inspections allow parents and caregivers to make sure they're in compliance with Illinois law. 

Why? More than 2,100 children – almost two children per minute – are reported missing every day in this country, and more than one-third of parents wouldn't be able to accurately describe their child to law enforcement, including details of exact height and weight, as well as their child's eye color.

• Every parent has experienced the panic of not knowing where their child is, if only for a minute. Parents should always be prepared with child ID cards.

• Many lost children can be located if parents immediately provide police with an accurate description of the child.

• Three ID cards will be provided – one for home and two for a wallet or purse.

• Registration for kids' ID cards ends 30 minutes prior to the end of the event.

To schedule an event, please contact Illinois State Police District 15 at 630-241-6800 ext. 5009.

Child Safety Seat Basics

The safest place for infants, toddlers and young children to ride is in the back seat with the appropriate child safety seat for their age and weight.

Some of the more common problems District 15 inspectors pinpoint include:

• Too much slack in harness straps

• Not properly anchoring the car seat

• Improper seat size for the child's weight

• Need for booster seats for older children
   

Other child seat safety tips:

• Infants should ride rear-facing until 2 years of age, longer if possible, to protect their developing muscles and bones. Rear-facing child safety seats protect a growing baby's head, neck and back in a crash.

• Toddlers and young children should ride in a child safety seat with an internal harness until they reach the maximum harness limit of the child restraint.

• A booster seat is the most effective way to position a safety belt properly on a young child's growing body.

• Safety belts are designed for adults who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Until age 8, most children have not developed strong hipbones. Their legs and bodies are too short, and require the use of a booster seat for the adult safety belt to fit correctly.

One overweight truck can cause as much damage as hundreds of cars traveling the same route. District 15 conducts truck enforcement on a daily basis, and partners with local police in conducting several roadside safety checks throughout the year. During these roadside safety checks, all commercial, construction and garbage trucks are checked for proper weight and given a thorough safety inspection by the State Police Motor Carrier Safety Officers. Through these roadside safety checks, the number of unsafe commercial vehicles traveling on our roadways is decreased.

The Illinois Vehicle Code governs the amount of weight large trucks can carry over various roadways. Violations of these laws can cause severe damage to our roads.

The federally certified truck enforcement team patrols the entire Tollway system, centering their activities on violations of motor carrier laws, including:

• Lane usage
• Overweight trucks
• Fatigued drivers

Drinking and Driving Awareness

District 15 offers teens a hands-on, behind-the-wheel experience that details the dangerous effects of drinking and driving. While wearing Fatal Vision Goggles, the teen (with safety expert in the passenger seat) attempts to navigate a specially designed golf cart around an obstacle course.

The experience reiterates messages on alcohol awareness, drinking and driving and the importance of wearing safety belts. We want to encourage and reinforce the importance of making responsible choices and the safety implications of those choices. Teens need to know that getting into a car with a driver that has been drinking or doing drugs could be a deadly decision.

Seatbelt Safety

Rollover Simulator

Illinois State Police District 15's vehicle Rollover Simulator – Roll 15:

• Demonstrates the importance of wearing seat belts.
• Replicates a 30 mph rollover accident using adult- and child-size dummies placed in the cab of a pickup truck.

Injuries to an unrestrained child in a 30 mph crash are equivalent to injuries sustained to a child dropped from a third-story window.

To simulate a rollover accident, the cab is mechanically rotated, which causes the dummies to be ejected. The dummies are returned to the cab and secured with safety seat belts. Again, the cab is rotated and the dummies remain safely in the cab.

Convincer

District 15 recently has begun offering Convincer demonstrations that provide individuals 16 and over with a driver's license the chance to simulate a 7 mph crash.

This educational tool allows the individual to experience how a safety belt protects them from injury when they are involved in a crash. Once a rider is properly restrained into the Convincer's seat, they ride to the bottom of the slide and crash.

Schedule a Demonstration

To schedule a rollover simulator, Convincer demonstration or teen safety demonstration for your school, business or community group, please contact 630-241-6800 extension 5009. District 15 provides demonstrations to groups in communities throughout Northern Illinois.

NetSmartz NetSmartz - Online Crime and Predator Awareness

Would you or your child like to learn how to protect yourselves from Internet crime and online predators? District 15 offers workshops that can be geared towards a wide range of participants.

NetSmartz training is an interactive workshop that teaches kids, teens and adults how to:

• Stay safer on the Internet
• Prevent victimization and increase awareness whenever online

To schedule a NetSmartz workshop for your school, business or community group, please contact 630-241-6800 extension 5009. Illinois State Police District 15 provides demonstrations to groups in communities throughout Northern Illinois.