SPRINGFIELD, Ill. â€� Alongside the Acting Illinois State Police Director during a press conference in Springfield Tuesday, District 9 Trooper Mark Holey said you’ll rarely meet a state trooper who ³ó²¹²õ²Ô’t been in an accident because a driver didn’t move over, or slow down while troopers are on the shoulder.
"I started my career in 2002 up in Chicago, so I went right where to the place where the firefighter had been killed and had the law named after," said Holey. "I was working in a winter storm on I-55 on the shoulder with all my lights activated. I actually had two people in my car at the same time I was trying to protect from an earlier crash. This car wiped out, struck me and pushed me into the wall there," said Holey, as he raised his hand in front him to motion the placement of that wall.
While on the job in central Illinois, Holey became the victim of another accident during winter weather.
"I’ve also been hit in another storm down in a more rural part of Illinois, in Champaign County. Left shoulder, all lights activated, the car didn’t want to move over and struck the back of me. You’ll come across a lot of officers that have been hit more than once in their careers. I’ve been on for 17 years." said Holey.
Acting ISP Director Brendan Kelly spoke alongside Gov. J.B. Pritzker Monday in Chicago. Kelly reiterated most of what he said Monday during Tuesday’s talk in Springfield. Kelly spoke with the same urgency and loyalty toward the Illinois State Police deputies who can so easily fall victim of a violation of Scott’s Law.
Fourteen state police squad cars have been totaled in 2019 alone. One deputy, Christopher Lambert, was killed in January in northern Illinois during severe winter weather when an SUV struck him on I-294 in Northbrook.
"Whether they are handling a crash on the shoulder, assisting a disabled vehicle in the lane of traffic, or making an arrest, please slow down and move over. It’s the right and safe thing to do but failure to do so could also result in prosecution," said Kelly.
"We’re trying to do everything we can to protect ourselves, our IDOT workers, our tow operators, our ambulance and fire. We care about everyone out there on the roadways; trying to keep them safe," said Trooper Holey.
Kelly said troopers have written more than twice the citations for people who violated Scott’s Law compared to this time last year.
