Milwaukee Drivers Net More Than 300 Tickets In Less Than A Week

MILWAUKEE, WI — Motorists have accumulated more than 300 traffic citations this week after acting Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Schmidt ordered on-going, random saturation patrols on the Milwaukee County freeway system to combat reckless driving and dangerously high speeding. The Wisconsin State Patrol has partnered with the Sheriff’s Office on this initiative.

Sheriff's officials say the special enforcement effort focuses on public safety, and is not based on generating revenue. Schmitt said that construction zone safety has been prioritized as they seek to reduce the number of speeding, reckless drivers — especially during work hours.

In a release, Schmidt stated that for every 10 miles driven at 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, a driver is only saving 1 minute 41 seconds. "The time saved is not worth the risk to other drivers, nor the cost of the ticket," he stated.

This week, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, 328 traffic citations were issued on Milwaukee County roadways by sheriff's deputies, 227 for speeding:

11-15 mph over: 17 25-29 mph over: 17

16-19 mph over: 88 30-34 mph over: 8

20-24 mph over: 76 Unreasonable-imprudent speed: 21

“I am committed to the saturation patrols until we gain voluntary compliance to the laws in place to keep the motoring public safe,” acting Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Schmidt said in a news release.

Patch.com Photo by Scott Anderson