Police Department - Patrol

Gang Awareness

A recent study found that 86% of Illinois communities have some sort of gang problem. A surprising fact is that reports of gang problems in small towns and rural locations are increasing at the fastest rates. The NAPD has been tracking gang contacts for some time now and this has shown that certain areas of the Village are experiencing an emerging, transient gang presence. This means that most of the gang members seen in North Aurora are either passing through or are coming to the Village for entertainment purposes. For the most part, North Aurora is considered neutral territory; that is no gangs claim their turf here. The few gang-influenced areas are generally not experiencing severe violence like you may hear about in larger communities, but unchecked the problem will worsen. What can we do about it you may ask? AWARENESS is the first step in the fight against gangs. Read on.

What is a gang?
A gang is usually an organized group with a leader which engages in activities that are either criminal or threatening to the community. These activities may range from Vandalism (Graffiti) to Intimidation to Violence against persons to Drugs and Weapons. Gangs cause fear and take over neighborhoods. Gang members come from all ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds and are mostly male teens. Many gangs have a defined structure and exist mostly for criminal enterprise. In fact, much of the gang violence in the country is closely related to competition over the drug trafficking business. Gangs are no longer just a bunch of street thugs; they are another form of organized crime. Gangs have tried to disguise themselves as religious, community, and political groups in an attempt to gather support for their activities and influence politicians and community leaders.

Why do young adults join gangs?
Through studies of self-admitted gang members, law enforcement has learned that the most common reasons for joining a gang are to be a part of a surrogate family, excitement, earn money, gain protection, peer pressure, and perceived lack of opportunities. About half of all gang members join willingly and about half are jumped or forced into the gang. Regardless of how they joined, the majority of gang members come from dysfunctional families, many have been victims of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, and many have low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. The bottom line is that gang members join the gang to get the types of human needs (love, affection, support, etc.) they're not getting at home.

What are the warning signs of gang involvement?
Parents may notice some of these changes in a young adult who may be joining a gang: Change in friends, Change in hairstyle/dress, Change in attitude, Secretive about his or her activities, Change in places frequented, Increase in money/possessions, New interest in gang signs and graffiti, Drug and/or alcohol use, Possesses a weapon, Behavior problems, Declining grades, or Drops out of school, sports, or social activities. If your child isn't actually involved in a gang but still has some of these warning signs, he or she may be getting into drugs, alcohol, or some other improper activity.

How can you keep your child from joining a gang?
Establish rules curfews and enforce them reasonably. Show emotional support and affection. Know where your child is going. Meet their friends. Talk and listen to your child. Encourage legitimate activities, and remember: It could happen to your child!

Fighting Gangs in North Aurora
The North Aurora Police Department currently uses several strategies and tools to combat gangs:

• A zero tolerance attitude toward gang members in North Aurora. Known gang members are the subjects of frequent traffic and investigative stops by North Aurora officers. This along with surveillance and changing, innovative tactics keeps gang members looking over their shoulders wondering if the police might be watching them nearby.
• The department's Gang Specialist officer is responsible for gathering, organizing, and recording gang records and disseminating this information to patrol officers.
• NAPD also assigns officers to special details concerning gangs when special intelligence indicates that there may be a problem.
• NAPD officers attend many hours of specialized gang training each year. Each NAPD officer attends a forty hour gang enforcement class early in their career and the Gang Officer and a supervisor attend a yearly gang specialist conference to keep updating their training and network with gang officers from around the country. In addition, NAPD sends an officer to monthly gang intelligence meetings to share information with local agencies.

What can you do to help?
NAPD relies on the community to be extra eyes and ears out in the community and to report any suspicious persons and/or activity whether it involves gangs or not. If you see something that doesn't look quite right, call us. That could be someone committing a crime or simply an unfamiliar vehicle or person hanging around in your neighborhood. In either case, do not be afraid to report it. We are never too busy to check out your report and you are not bothering us; just call!!!

Contact the North Aurora Police Department at (630) 897-8705 if you have any questions or would like to schedule a free Gang Awareness presentation for your group.

Driving Under the Influence

Alcohol is a drug
Alcohol is a drug that slows your nervous system down, impairing your ability to drive a motor vehicle safely due to slower reaction times, impaired vision, overconfidence, lack of concentration, and impaired physical coordination, among others. Driving a car is a divided attention skill that requires mental (reading signs and watching signals, remembering traffic laws, deciding what route to drive, etc.) and physical tasks (Steering, changing gears, pressing on the gas and brake pedals, manipulating vehicle controls, etc.) to be done simultaneously. Alcohol affects your ability to perform these tasks correctly and simultaneously.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
BAC is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in your blood. This can be tested via breath, blood, or urine. The Illinois Vehicle Code provides that it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or more. Even still, you can be arrested and convicted with a BAC of less than .08 if your ability to drive is impaired, even slightly. BAC is affected by:

• The amount you've had to drink. A 12 oz. beer, 5 oz. glass of wine, and 1.5 oz. of hard liquor all contain approximately the same amount of alcohol.
• Time. Drinking coffee, eating food, and taking showers do not reduce the amount of alcohol in your system. The only way for that to happen is for time to go by without adding any alcohol to your system. The average person's body removes alcohol at the rate of .015 percent per hour. This means that if your BAC is .08, it will take nearly six hours before there is no alcohol in your body.
• Body weight. Bigger people have more blood and body fluids to dilute the alcohol.
• Other things. Food eaten and any other drugs you may have taken will affect your BAC.

Other drugs
It is illegal to drive with any amount of cannabis (marijuana, hashish) or a controlled substance (cocaine, LSD, amphetamines, heroin) in your system. Also some over the counter drugs may impair your driving. Read the warning label to find out.

DUI Laws
DUI is a serious and potentially violent crime. Violators are subject to arrest, loss of license, fines, and imprisonment. Repeat offenders are subject to more serious penalties. If arrested for DUI you will be handcuffed and brought to the police station. You will be required to post cash bond before being released. Your car may be towed at your expense and can be held for a minimum of 12 hours. Legal fees begin at around $2,500.00.

• Statutory Summary Suspension If arrested for Driving under the influence of alcohol (or other drugs), you will be asked to submit to a chemical test (officer's choice of breath, blood, or urine). If you refuse to submit, your license will be suspended for a minimum of 6 months. If you register .08 or more (or any amount of an illegal drug), your license will be suspended for a minimum of 3 months (longer for repeat offenders). If charged with DUI, your refusal to submit may be used as evidence against you. These suspensions are civil penalties and are in addition to any criminal penalties for conviction.
• DUI conviction A first DUI conviction carries a fine of up to $1000.00, jail sentence of up to one year, potential additional license suspension, alcohol/drug counseling and/or treatment, and attending a victim impact panel. A second conviction carries a three year license suspension, 48 hours in jail or 10 days of community service, and a fine up to $1000.00. A third conviction (a Felony) will result in the loss of your license for a minimum of six years, one to three years in jail, and a fine of $10,000.00.
• DUI Enforcement The NAPD takes DUI very seriously. As evidence of this, the NAPD arrested 66 individuals in 1998 and over 100 individuals in 1999 for DUI. The NAPD also has a Traffic Unit whose sole duty is to enforce traffic laws, including DUI, and is out on the street nearly every day. The NAPD will also be participating in a DUI enforcement grant through the Kane County Task Force on Drinking and Driving and the State of Illinois that will provide funds for overtime to be used for extra DUI patrol. In addition, the NAPD will be participating in several special enforcement periods throughout 2000. The NAPD is also going to install several video cameras in squad cars to record the arrests of drunk drivers and other violators. If you would like to learn more, enroll in NAPD's Citizen's Police Academy. Call for more information.
• Zero Tolerance Zero tolerance is a state law that went into effect on January 1,1995. The law provides for suspension of the driving privileges of any person under the age of 21 who drives after consuming any amount of alcohol. Like the name zero tolerance suggests, any trace of alcohol in a young person's system can result in a suspended driver’s license. There are exceptions -- minors who consume alcohol as part of a religious service or those who ingest a prescribed or recommended dosage of medicine containing alcohol. Zero tolerance is separate from DUI. A teenager arrested for DUI faces the same penalties as an adult. A teenager who is stopped for a moving violation with alcohol in his or her system can be arrested for Illegal Consumption of alcohol. If he or she has BAC of .01 percent or greater, a minimum 3 month license suspension will result. Refusing to submit to chemical testing will result in a 6 month suspension. Subsequent violations will result in more severe penalties.