The Illinois State Police has turned truck inspections into a contest, awarding steak dinners to the unit that performs the most inspections, according to internal emails.
An email sent out by District 22 ISP safety educational officer Greg Miller, thanking officers for their participation in the contest, was inadvertently sent to several media contacts. A portion of the email was published by The Southern Illinoisan:
“I know this contest was a little painful for some of you to participate in since not everyone likes doing trucks. I want to thank everyone who put forth an effort to participate and help with your squad totals.”
Miller later sent a follow-up email asking reporters to disregard the message.
One Illinois State Police spokesman, Mike Link, commented on the leaked email, and the concern that it’s raised, by saying the agency “does not promote the use of rewards to encourage enforcement activity.”
“ISP officials are looking to determine if any ISP policy violations occurred and the appropriate measures will be taken,” he added.
When asked if the steak dinners were purchased with state resources, Link replied that they were likely personal purchases that were not made on the tax-payer dime.
According to the ISP, they are conducting an internal investigation to see if any policy violations occurred, and will take appropriate actions if need be.
