Villa Park drivers caught speeding, driving without seat belts or operating on suspended licenses racked up 178 citations and arrests during a speed enforcement campaign that ran July 7 through July 31.

The Villa Park Police Department issued 130 speeding citations alone, according to a department press release published Thursday, Aug. 6. Officers also wrote 15 seat belt citations, 29 other offense citations and two citations for driving on a suspended or revoked license.

One driver was arrested for DUI. Another was arrested on a criminal offense.

The department said the campaign aimed to "remind motorists to slow down to save lives" and reduce highway fatalities. The effort was part of Illinois' statewide "Speeding Catches Up With You" campaign, which involved more than 200 local law enforcement agencies coordinated by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Police. Federal traffic safety funds administered by IDOT paid for the extra patrols.

High-visibility push on Speed Awareness Day

Villa Park deployed additional officers on Wednesday, July 22, for Illinois Speed Awareness Day, a single high-visibility enforcement day within the broader campaign. The department noted in a July 20 announcement that speeding contributed to 423 traffic fatalities across Illinois in 2024.

Lombard reported 196 speeding citations in same campaign

Neighboring Lombard, which ran the same IDOT-funded campaign over the same July 7–31 period, reported 196 speeding citations, one DUI arrest and one criminal arrest, according to a Lombard Police Department release. Lombard is a larger municipality, making a direct comparison difficult without population-adjusted data.

Lombard Police Lt. Tom Balsitis said in that release that "every driver has a responsibility to follow the speed limit and stay focused behind the wheel."

Sergeant Eric Haimann is the Villa Park Police Department's contact for the campaign. No follow-up enforcement effort has been announced.