Illinois Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor
The Illinois Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP) position is currently held by Jennifer Cifaldi. TSRPs are typically current or former prosecutors who serve as subject matter experts in the area of traffic safety with an emphasis on Impaired Driving. The TSRP’s duties include providing training, education, and technical support and resources to traffic prosecutors and law enforcement officers throughout Illinois. The TSRP also works with victim advocacy groups in Illinois, specifically Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM).
Learn more about some of the Impaired Driving programs (pdf) that the TSRP is involved with.
Registration Open for the Illinois Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Course
We are currently accepting applications for our next Illinois Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Course! The two-part course will be held in Fall 2022. The course includes in-person lab sessions (classroom instruction) and clinical work. Funding through an Illinois Department of Transportation grant is available to cover a portion of the costs if a police department is unable to pay the entire expense. This grant funding can assist with the costs of tuition and travel expenses. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to join the ranks of this specialized group of well-trained officers who are continuing to push forward in the effort to eliminate impaired driving!
Online Training Program for Prosecutors and Law Enforcement
We are exited to continue our training partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. In 2021, Jennifer Cifaldi broke down her six hour in-person Warning to Motorists/Statutory Summary Suspension class into a five-part webinar series. With this partnership, we plan to offer virtual trainings monthly on various traffic safety related topics. These webinars will be available to both prosecutors and law enforcement officers, and Continuing Legal Education credits will be available for prosecutors.
The Warning to Motorists/Statutory Summary Suspension webinars are as follows:
- Part 1 – The Standard DUI Warning to Motorists
- Part 2 – The DUI Cannabis Warning to Motorists and Tips to Identify Drivers Impaired by Cannabis
- Part 3 – The Type A/Fatal Warning to Motorists and Understanding the Use of Hospital Blood Draws
- Part 4 – The Zero Tolerance Warning and Commercial Motor Vehicle Warning to Motorists
- Part 5 – Statutory Summary Suspensions
For questions or to offer suggestions on future training topics, please contact Jennifer Cifaldi at jcifaldi3@gmail.com or Eric Leafblad at eric.leafblad@cookcountyil.gov.
Meet Jennifer Cifaldi, the IL TSRP
Jennifer Cifaldi is the Illinois Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor and is employed by the University of Illinois at Springfield through a grant from the Illinois Dept. of Transportation. She has held this position since October of 2016. Prior to that, Jennifer served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Adams County, Illinois for 20 years, prosecuting traffic cases at both the felony and misdemeanor level. She also was an adjunct professor at Hannibal-LaGrange University for their advanced degree program in Criminal Justice.
Jennifer also serves on the Speakers Bureau for the National Marijuana Initiative (NMI). NMI is a national initiative within the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program. Its purpose is to educate both the public and policymakers on issues surrounding marijuana by offering trainings all over the country.
In 2007, Jennifer developed a DUI No-Refusal search warrant model that has now been adopted as the standard for Law Enforcement agencies and Prosecutor Offices across Illinois. She has conducted numerous training sessions on the topic for law enforcement personnel, as well as other prosecutors. Additionally, she has instructed at numerous ARIDE programs and at DRE school.
In the spring of 2018, with support from the Buffett Foundation, Jennifer implemented the first Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program in Illinois. Drug Recognition Experts from Macon County, Illinois, a dean from Richland Community College (RCC), and Jennifer traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to attend the forensic phlebotomy training that Arizona has been utilizing for over 20 years. RCC is now offering these classes in Decatur. Several Illinois officers have received this training and are now successfully performing venipunctures at their own departments throughout the state. For more information about this program, click here.
In 2016, Jennifer was the recipient of the National Traffic Safety Prosecutor of the Year award. She was also the recipient of the MADD Hero award in 2011 for her work on prosecuting DUI cases. And in 2014, she was awarded the 2014 Murphy Leadership award for her vision, execution, and relentless effort to eliminate impaired driving and underage drinking. Additionally, she serves on the Illinois Impaired Driving Task Force Committee.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana in 1993 and her Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana in 1996. She resides in Quincy, Illinois with her husband and son.
Contact Information
email: jcifaldi3@gmail.com
phone: 217-257-5050