Message from the Sheriff

Hello Everyone,

I hope you have enjoyed your summer. It’s hard to believe that we are closing in on the Labor Day holiday and pressing closer to fall.

As you may have seen, our Seatbelt Task Force Interdictions have been running all summer. As your Sheriff, yes, I do care about the statistics associated to our deployments; however, it’s more important to me that we make a serious effort to curb impaired driving and enhance seatbelt usage.

The national 2018 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility law enforcement campaign is from August 17 through September 3 and is aimed at deterring impaired driving especially as we approach the Labor Day holiday weekend – one of the deadliest times of the year for drunk-driving fatalities. As part of the nationwide effort to save lives and prevent injuries, law enforcement agencies from around Wisconsin will patrol in greater numbers, and for longer hours, to arrest impaired drivers and get them off the road. The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office, all of your valuable local Police Departments, and the Wisconsin State Patrol are involved in this effort here, locally, and on all of our roadways.

Some Wisconsin DOT statistics for you:

• In the U.S., about one-third of all traffic crash deaths involve drunk drivers. Last year in Wisconsin, 161 people were killed and 3,034 injured in alcohol-related crashes. In 2017, more than 27% of Wisconsin traffic fatalities were alcohol-related.
• There were 24,211 OWI convictions in Wisconsin last year.
• On average, a DUI can cost $10,000 in fines, court costs, attorney fees, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing and repairs, and more.
• In Green Lake County alone, thus far in 2018, local law enforcement agencies have arrested 63 individuals for DUI or impaired operation for Restricted Controlled Substances (Drugged Driving).

You can make a difference. For those who drink, drink anything at all, my recommendation to you is not to drive period! There are plenty of other transportation choices and it’s just not worth the risks. Additionally, if you see signs of impaired driving – call us, we are out there patrolling.

Sheriff Deputies, Police, and Wisconsin State Troopers will be out in-force for the upcoming Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Please wear your seatbelt and don’t drink and drive.

Mark A. Podoll, Sheriff
Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Documents
message-sheriff-sober-over.pdf