Illinois State Police cited 77 individuals for distracted driving during special patrols in Cook, DuPage and Will counties during June.

Illinois State Police troopers charged 77 individuals with distracted driving in three local counties during June.

As part of Distracted Driving Enforcement patrols held in Cook, DuPage and Will counties during June, troopers cited 65 individuals for hand-held phone/device violations. Another 12 people were given texting while driving citations.

The Distracted Driving patrols issued a total of 119 citations during June. Another 22 people were given written warnings regarding violations.

State Police said the program provided extra patrol coverage for troopers to focus on saving lives and reducing serious crashes by enforcing distracted driving laws.

The extra enforcement patrols were made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.