State Patrol to conduct high-visibility law enforcement initiative on Tuesday

KENOSHA COUNTY -- To raise public awareness about highway safety as another busy construction and travel season gets underway, the Wisconsin State Patrol will conduct a high-visibility “Blue Day” law enforcement initiative in eight southeast Wisconsin counties on Tuesday, April 16.

During Tuesday’s 24-hour initiative, all available State Patrol officers, from troopers and inspectors to sergeants, lieutenants and captains, will be out enforcing traffic laws. It means motorists will see more blue State Patrol uniforms and cruisers in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Jefferson, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha counties.

State Patrol officers will be on the lookout for speeders, impaired or distracted drivers and motorists who fail to “Move Over” for stopped emergency vehicles.

Weather-permitting, a State Patrol aircraft will fly over a portion of I-94 in Kenosha County watching for speeders and aggressive drivers.

“Tuesday’s Blue Day initiative supports the State Patrol’s overall public safety mission to prevent traffic crashes and save lives,” said Captain Cedric Rembert, Commander of the State Patrol’s Southeast Region Waukesha Post. “We publicly-announce many of these enforcement efforts because our goal is for motorists to voluntarily comply with traffic laws at all times.”

Speeders risk much more than a citation. They risk the safety of everyone travelling along roadways. In 2018 in Wisconsin, there were nearly 20,000 speed-related crashes resulting in 7,957 injuries and 173 fatalities. The state’s Move Over law requires drivers to shift over a lane or slow down to provide a safety zone for stopped emergency vehicles. Over the last month, several state troopers have been killed in the line of duty in the states of Illinois, Maine and California when struck by other vehicles.