Aurora Police Announce IDOT Traffic Enforcement Grant and Results
Published on September 24, 2025
Aurora Police Announce IDOT Traffic Enforcement Grant and Results
Aurora, IL – The Aurora Police Department was awarded a Federal Fiscal Year 2025 Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant. The grant, funded by federal highway safety funds through the Illinois Department of Transportation, supports enhanced traffic enforcement efforts designed to save lives and reduce crashes.
“We’re grateful for this support, which lets us increase enforcement of impaired driving, seat belt, speeding and other traffic safety laws under the banners of ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,’ ‘Click It or Ticket,’ and ‘Drive High, Get a DUI,’” said Chief Matt Thomas. “Our priority is the safety of everyone using Aurora’s roads, and we’ll hold violators accountable to prevent tragedies.”
The STEP grant period runs from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025. In addition to seven statewide holiday enforcement campaigns, Aurora officers carried out supplemental operations that provided extra enforcement opportunities throughout the year. These high-visibility details targeted dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, distracted driving, and failure to yield.
Combined totals from these operations:
- 27 speeding citations
- 5 electronic device/distracted-driving citations
- 4 other traffic citations
- 1 traffic arrest
- 36 vehicles stopped during 36 hours of enforcement
“Our officers are out every day working to keep Aurora’s streets safe, and the holiday campaigns build on that effort during the most high-risk travel periods,” said Chief Matt Thomas. “This year we took it a step further by adding extra enforcement details through the STEP grant, and we’re already planning to grow these operations in 2026 and beyond.”
The STEP grant was funded by federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation and is part of a statewide effort to improve roadway safety and reduce traffic-related fatalities.
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