SMART Citations Up From Last Year

July 07, 2008
Contact: Elise Schaffer, PIO Phone: (608) 284-6142 Email: schaffer@co.dane.wi.us
Sheriff's Office

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office has concluded the first month of the Drive SMART program on the beltline. Since the enforcement project started on June 7th, deputies and police officers from multiple jurisdictions have written a total of 241 citations. That number is up from 174 citations that were issued in June of last year’s Drive SMART program. An additional 11 hours of enforcement time helped contribute to the higher number. Speeding is clearly the number one traffic safety issue on the beltline. In the past month, 156 drivers were cited for excessive speed compared to June of 2007 when only 67 drivers were issued speeding citations. Ten drivers were arrested for Operating While Intoxicated, and 25 were cited for Operating After Revocation or Operating After Suspension. In addition, 17 were cited for lack of safety belts. During the overtime enforcement, there was 1 drug related arrest and 8 warrants were served. These statistics are attributed specifically to the grant funded enforcement and do not reflect any citations that were issued outside of those hours by law enforcement performing routine traffic enforcement. The Department of Transportation funds the Drive SMART program, which will continue throughout the summer. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office oversees the project in partnership with Cottage Grove, Town of Madison, City of Madison, Monona and Middleton Police Departments. Sheriff David Mahoney reminds drivers to be SMART…Sober, Moderate Speed, Alert, Restrained, and Thoughtful. ###