Muskego Police Announce "Booze and Belts" Initiative

Lt. Andrew Kraus of the announced that MPD would again take part in a campaign "to prevent traffic crashes and keep the upcoming holiday season from becoming a time of tragedy," according to a statement.

The statewide “Booze and Belts” campaign runs from Dec. 9 to 17, and while MPD has participated in this mobilization in the past, this year Muskego will be able to dedicate additional resources to the enforcement of seatbelt and OWI laws. The City of Muskego recently received a grant from the State of Wisconsin to assign officers strictly to traffic enforcement, and the department will use those funds in this campaign. 

In addition, Kraus stated, "to further increase the effectiveness of the mobilization, Muskego police will be partnering with officers from the Big Bend Police Department.  By performing the mobilizations at the same time it is hoped we will have a bigger impact on keeping the streets of our communities safe for travelers."

The numbers for OWI and seatbelt convictions are behind the campaign, according to the statement. Last year in Wisconsin, there were more than 40,000 convictions for drunken driving. Furthermore, there were nearly 120,000 convictions for failure to fasten safety belts, which was the second most frequent traffic conviction in 2010.

"As I have indicated in the past, our goal is not simply to write more tickets," Kraus said. "We will pursue our enforcement and education efforts until we attain our ultimate goal, zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin."