By Jean Lotus

Editor

Forest Park police will be out in force during the July 4th holiday week, seeking to keep impaired and unsafe drivers off the road, the department said in a statement.

The police will set up a roadside safety check on Friday, July 4 between midnight and 3 a.m. in the 900 block of Harlem Avenue. During the check, officers watch for drivers who may be driving in an unsafe manner, have suspended or revoked licenses (which can be scanned by a license-plate-reading machine), have open alcohol or are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Forest Park's last roadside check, Thanksgiving weekend, netted eight traffic arrests, including an out-of-town man charged with DUI.

In the past during traffic stops, police have reduced the road to two lanes between Lexington and Harvard Avenues and diverted vehicles in a regular pattern (one out of every five). Drivers are asked to pull into the Mobil gas station at 949 S. Harlem.

Officers are also on the lookout for cars with equipment violations, such as cracked windshield and burnt-out safety lights, drivers and passengers who are not wearing seatbelts, and drivers yakking on cellphones.

Forest Park police will be assisted by officers from North Riverside and River Forest as well.

Contact:

Email: jlotus@forestparkreview.com Twitter: @FP_Review