New Marquette University Police Unit Fights Reckless Driving
In its first 11 weeks officers have stopped 200 vehicles.
MUPD’s traffic unit cars patrol campus and nearby streets. Photo courtesy Marquette Police Department
In June, the Marquette University Police Department created a traffic enforcement unit. Within 11 weeks, officers stopped over 200 vehicles — issuing 171 tickets and arresting 14 people for driving under the influence.
It’s the latest effort in the fight against reckless driving in Milwaukee. Police at Marquette say they hope it makes the campus safer, and city officials say the work by the university police can complement city efforts to fight traffic crimes.
From 2002 to 2022, traffic fatalities in Milwaukee County increased by over 113 percent. The Milwaukee Police Department reported over 2,000 crashes with injuries and 33 traffic deaths this year.
This gif shows the locations of traffic deaths in Milwaukee County during periods between 2017 and 2022, according to preliminary police crash reports compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison — and plotted on a Google map. Screenshots from Wisconsin County Traffic Safety Commission Crash Mapping
Since the start of the summer, the Milwaukee Police Department has issued 243 traffic citations in District 3, which is home to Marquette’s campus. That number includes 113 speeding violations.
Marquette University Police Lt. Kevin Walz thinks the traffic team helps supplement the city police department’s efforts to mitigate incidents.
Jessica Wineberg is the policy director for Vision Zero, a citywide policy and action plan that aims to eliminate traffic deaths by 2037. One of Vision Zero’s long-term strategies is to rebuild city roadways focusing on safety over speed — reducing the need for traffic enforcement.
Until then, the MUPD traffic unit is a net positive because of understaffing at the city’s traffic unit, Wineberg said.
“When people are getting hit and killed and we see egregious driving, the more help we can get with enforcement, the better,” she said.
Vehicles drive on West Fond du Lac Avenue at its intersection with West Congress Street on Sept. 14, 2022, in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Unlike neighboring states Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, Wisconsin state law bans automated traffic enforcement measures such as red-light cameras that capture lawbreakers in the act. In June, Democratic state Sens. LaTonya Johnson and Dora Drake, who represent parts of northern Milwaukee, introduced a bill that would allow the city to use traffic cameras as part of a pilot program for automated traffic enforcement.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee also has developed plans for traffic enforcement in its neighborhood. The UWM Police Department does not have a dedicated traffic unit.
Marquette University police kickstart traffic unit to fight reckless driving in Milwaukee was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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of course that’s where all the reckless driving occurs. common, obviously the rest of the city doesn’t need a dedicated police presence for reckless drivers. so, officials have not driven on the east side or north avenue or any where else. i am glad that some reckless drivers have been stopped, and let’s not applaud an elite university only.
Reduction of reckless driving behavior starts in the teenage years. And should! With great thought, broad input, and careful planning with all of those invested in saving lives and bringing “normal’ safe driving back to every neighborhood.
These groups are high school health educators, drivers’ education instructors, automobile industry (stop the reckless driving on car commercials. Kids see this every day in the media), auto insurance industry, petroleum industry, tourism industry, our local, state, and national governments, and the neighborhood associations most impacted by reckless driving.
As a health education teacher in MPS for 20 years, I have always used an “impact” approach to help Milwaukee Youth understand what their benefits are from making consistent healthy choices throughout life with each health unit taught.
This beautiful process that helps them on their learning journeys to making healthier decisions is the bedrock for guaranteeing lives will be happy healthy and successful.
This “impact” approach to teaching healthy outcomes has several steps that may need to be looked at if we want to reduce the amount of reckless driving and the toll it has on our families, neighborhoods, and local economy. We cannot rely only upon rebuilding every street, catching reckless drivers in the act and then punishing them for behaviors modeled everywhere in the media for them sense age 1.
Changing behaviors is about countering the latest youth risk behaviors through preventative education. Starting early and often. Then hitting it hard during the teen years.
Impact Prevention Education for Reckless & Inattentive Driving
Youth Risk Behavior Data: what does the current and trending data show for the youth risk behaviors for reckless driving?
– who is driving under the influence of what chemicals, why?
– why do youth drive recklessly?
– numbers of accidents, injuries, disabilities for life, loss of income, loss of life, effect on health: mental, emotional, physical
short & long term, and the financial costs to every institution
– impact on personal well-being of the reckless driver, their friends, family and community members
WE MUST PROVIDE SPEAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY RECKLESS DRIVERS
IN EVERY HEALTH ANDDRIVERS EDUCATION CLASS
– Expose our children and youth multiple times in different ways the IMPACT of:
+ driving while texting
+ driving without wearing seat belts
+ driving recklessly under the influence of chemical
+ driving recklessly from the influence of video games and car commercials
+ driving recklessly under the influence of peer pressure to show off, share on social media
+ driving recklessly without having a driver’s license, taking a drivers ed class, underage driving
– teach skills to reduce risk behaviors:
+ require behind the wheel drivers to practice driving past a school, playground, parkway
+ require practice driving where pedestrians and bikers are common
+ require driving by a recent reckless driving accident site (park, walk and talk about what happened and why)
+ require riding a bike and trying to cross a busy street (stop and talk about reckless driving accidents impact of the
innocent drivers, pedestrians and bikers
“TOUCH HEARTS AND CHAGE LIVES” Let’s impact them while they are young and innocent.
Paul
the health teacher