Have a plan! On Brewers, Badgers game day in Wisconsin, officials on the lookout for drunk drivers



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Monday, April 6th -- game day in Wisconsin -- and this one was a two-fer! The Milwaukee Brewers kicked off their season Monday, April 6th with Opening Day at Miller Park, taking on the Colorado Rockies, and later, the Wisconsin Badgers faced off against the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament's championship game. Sports fans planned to celebrate, some all day long on Monday -- and that had law enforcement officials reminding fans they would be watching closely.

Law enforcement officials, cab drivers and bar owners had the same message Monday for sports fans looking to have some fun: Do so responsibly.

The Southeast Wisconsin OWI Task Force deployed officers looking for drunk drivers beginning at 3:00 p.m. Monday. Task Force officers will be deployed through 3:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 7th.

Law enforcement officials are encouraging fans celebrating to remember to have a strategy to get home safely -- whether it's a designated driver or a taxi.

"We on the Task Force are hoping for a Brewers win and a Wisconsin Badgers national championship! We will, however, make it our mission to make sure that our roadways are safe, and that those who opt to drink and drive get stopped, tested and arrested," the Southeast Wisconsin OWI Task Force said in a statement to FOX6 News.

Shuttling Brewers fans to Miller Park and to an Opening Day after party is nothing new for Kelly's Bleachers -- located near the stadium on Bluemound Road. But Badgers basketball playing later that same day? That's a first!

"That changes a lot of things because usually, Opening Day, around 9 or 10 o`clock, it`s over-with," Kelly's Bleachers owner Patrick Guenther said.

"It extends it. It takes it from drinking from 9, 10 o`clock in the morning all the way through the end of the game, which is gonna be 10 o`clock at night," Wauwatosa Police Captain Tim Sharpee said.

For those that would find themselves in the back of a car at the end of the night Monday or early Tuesday, police hoped someone like Said Hamdache would be driving. Hamdache owns "Cabmotion," and all six of his cab drivers were on duty Monday night.

"Tonight is gonna be different, yes. We`re gonna stay as long as people needs us," Hamdache said.

Prior to tip-off in Indy, Guenther said he observed most folks acting responsibly.

"What I`ve been seeing is a lot of cabs, a lot of Uber, a lot of Lyft," Guenther said.

In the gap between the end of the Brewers game and the start of the Badgers game, Uber pricing was twice as much as the normal rate -- but police say it's still cheaper than an OWI! Cheaper and safer for all involved.