GENEVA – Geneva police are top notch at catching speeders, drunken drivers and distracted drivers on their cell phones, landing the department in second place in the 2022-23 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge for municipalities with 36-50 sworn officers, officials announced in a news release.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police recognized the Geneva Police Department for its diligence and selected it as the Rookie of the Year for 2022-23 for participating in its inaugural Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge.

The challenge is a competition between law enforcement agencies of similar size.

“Your efforts serve as an example to other agencies as we continue our work to make Illinois’ roads safer places to travel,” Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge Director Scott Kristiansen said in a letter to Geneva Police Chief Eric Passarelli.

The program’s goal is to help police departments reduce crashes, deaths and injuries across the state, according to the release.

Geneva police made 60 DUI arrests in 2022 and 35 in 2021.

Geneva officers stopped 2,764 motorists for speeding in 2021 and 2,631 in 2022.

Geneva officers also cited 181 motorists in 2021 for distracted driving while using a cellphone and 165 in 2022.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police coordinated the program with support from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant, according to the release.

Geneva Police Sgt. George Carbray and officer Erica Bolger were credited for compiling the information and presenting it to the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.