Illinois interstates are now safer than they’ve been in nearly a decade, with the Illinois State Police reporting zero fatal highway shootings in 2025 for the first time in roughly ten years.
Total highway shootings fell 31% from 2024 to 2025, dropping from 89 incidents to just 61. Since the post-pandemic spike that saw 310 shootings in 2021, Illinois has achieved an 80% reduction in these violent incidents.
“Public safety has been a key priority under my administration, and thanks to sustained investments and the efforts of the Illinois State Police, our state has seen safer interstates year after year,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In the past four years alone, interstate shootings have decreased by 80% and no one lost their life to gun violence on Illinois’ interstates in 2025. We’re committed to building upon this progress and will continue working tirelessly to improve public safety across Illinois.”
Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly credited the reduction to a comprehensive enforcement strategy that includes personnel deployment, technology, Air Operations, K9 units, forensic analysis, and investigative resources.
“When faced with a surge of violence on Illinois interstates, ISP took immediate action, dedicating personnel, technology, Air Operations, K9 units, forensics, and investigative expertise, successfully decreasing the number of shootings,” said ISP Director Bredan F. Kelly. “Our multifaceted approach has proven to be effective, but as crime evolves, so will we in order to keep our communities safe.”
Illinois State Police noted that the use of ISP Air Operations and Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) was instrumental in identifying and tracking those committing crime, as well as reducing crashes. These cameras, installed under the Tamara Clayton Expressway Camera Act enacted in 2020, can track fleeing vehicles and assist investigators in real-time apprehensions and follow-up investigations.
Illinois State Police installed approximately 100 ALPRs along I-94 in 2021, and by the end of 2022, 289 cameras were operational in the Chicago area. The program has since expanded to 22 counties across Illinois.
