URBANA – Thanks to a generous donation, University of Illinois Police will be equipping one of their squad cars with a new in-car camera system expected to help strengthen court cases against drunken drivers.

On Friday, Jim and Barb Esworthy and their Journey Foundation announced a donation of $9,553 to the University of Illinois Police Department for the purchase of the camera system, which provides valuable video evidence of field sobriety tests conducted on drunken drivers.

The high-definition footage is valuable evidence in prosecuting people who choose to drink and drive, putting others and themselves at risk on the road.

The Esworthys have been active in the fight against drunken driving since losing their two daughters in an accident caused by an impaired driver in 1997. Their donations have been crucial for law enforcement agencies in Champaign County to purchase tools needed to deter driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

“The support provided by the Journey Foundation, and all of those entities that support it, has been invaluable to the University of Illinois Police Department over the years and never goes unnoticed or unappreciated,” said U. of I. Police Deputy Chief Skip Frost. “We in turn hope to continue supporting the Journey Foundation’s core values of enforcing driving under the influence offenses in this community.”