Arrested for DUI by the Crest Hill Police Department?

Two buildings on City Center Boulevard

The city's contact block lists two addresses that look alike. City Hall is at 20600 City Center Boulevard, phone 815-741-5100. The Police Department is at 20590 City Center Boulevard, phone 815-741-5111. Both list hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Send a family member to the right one, especially if the errand is time sensitive.

The site gives no separate after-hours number for the department, and no non-emergency label on 815-741-5111. It lists 911 as the emergency number.

What the department's page offers

The Crest Hill police page links a map of the city's police beats, truck permits, victim services information, a house check form, and a records request page. Its FAQ tells people to request police reports through a FOIA form and to get crash reports online. It also says parking tickets and administrative citations can be paid online. A DUI is not a ticket you pay.

The car

The department's pages post no towing, impound or release process and no fee schedule. The city's code does have an ordinance on towing vehicles during snowfalls, but that is a parking rule and does not govern a DUI arrest. For your car, ask the department who towed it. Then call that company.

Bond

Illinois no longer uses cash bail; the Will County Sheriff page explains the statutes. The city does not describe how release works at its own station. Ask for the release paperwork in hand.

Court and clock

Crest Hill is in Will County, so the case goes to Joliet. The courthouse guide covers the building. For the license, the statute, 625 ILCS 5/11-501.1(g), starts the suspension on the 46th day after notice was given. If you refused testing or failed one, the length of the suspension changes, so read the suspension page too.

Counting back five years

Whether you count as a first offender matters for the license. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-500, a first offender is someone with no previous DUI conviction or court supervision, and no earlier 11-501.1 suspension or revocation, within the 5 years before the current offense. If an old matter sits near that five year edge, tell Jeff on the first call. The exact dates decide it.

Questions Jeff asks first

• What is the date on the notice of suspension?
• Did you take the breath, blood or urine test, or decline it?
• Is anything older than five years on your record, and what was it?
• Is the car still with the tow company?

Short answers are fine. You do not need a perfect memory of the night.

Reviewed by Jeff McCarthy, Attorney, Inspired Law Group, 136 E 9th St, Lockport, IL 60441.