Daisy Dash Proceeds Used by Clarendon Hills PD for New Message Board

The Clarendon Hills Police Department used proceeds from the 2012 Daisy Dash run to purchase a new traffic message board that Chief Ted Jenkins said will be used for tracking speeders, alerting drivers of construction zones, and telling them to buckle up, among other things.

The message board, which attaches to Clarendon Hills police vehicles via their rear tailgates, cost $10,000, much of which came from Daisy Dash proceeds, Jenkins said.

"The board has the capability to monitor traffic speeds, record traffic data and display programmable messages to passing traffic," Jenkins said in a statement read at a November village board meeting. "This board will make a difference in traffic safety in the village and is something we would not have purchased without [Daisy Dash organizers'] help."

Aside from Daisy Dash proceeds, money that paid for the message board came from the sale of department equipment.

Jenkins said the device could be used to issue speeding tickets, like a red-light camera in Chicago, but that's not the department's plan at this point. Instead, it will be used to track trends and provide information to the department and the community.

"Our plan is not to write tickets with this sign," Jenkins said. "Our plan is to raise awareness."

Jenkins said community members who believe their neighborhood may have a speeding problem can reach out to the department and request the message board's presence.