Crime & Safety
Drunken Driving Arrests Up in Brookfield
The increase clashes with a downward trend in the Milwaukee suburbs, where OWI arrests are down 30 percent in the last five years.
Editor's note: Intern Charlie Gorney contributed to this story.
Brookfield has seen an increase in drunken driving arrests over the last five years, and police officials say a better understanding of detecting impaired drivers as well as an emphasis on enforcement are two possible explanations.
Police in Brookfield made 262 arrests in 2007, and 321 last year.
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"One of the possible reasons for an increase here in the city of Brookfield would be ... possibly an increase in the number of people who are operating under the influence of something other than alcohol," Police Capt. Phil Horter said. "I think we've seen an increase in the number of impaired drivers during the daytime hours, and a good portion of those are under prescription medication rather than alcohol."
Horter said training to detect drivers under the influence of prescription drugs has increased in the last five years, and the use of Drug Recognition Experts — officers with more training in this area — also helps find such offenders.
Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Another possible reason for the increase is the department's commitment as a member of the Southeast Wisconsin High-Visibility Enforcement OWI Task Force, Horter said. State grant money helps make it affordable for officers to dedicate more time to policing the streets for drunk or otherwise impaired drivers.
"They can go out for three or four hours and focus on (targeting impaired drivers)," he said.
What The Numbers Say
Throughout the Milwaukee suburbs, though, OWI arrests have fallen.
In 2007, suburban police departments in Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha and Ozaukee counties made 5,578 arrests for drunken driving, according to data from the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance. In 2012, that figure had fallen to 3,868 — a 30 percent decline.To paint a picture of what’s happening in the suburbs, Patch reviewed drunken driving arrests for nearly 50 law enforcement agencies in all four counties, excluding the cities of Milwaukee and Racine, and the sheriff’s departments, which typically do not patrol the suburban streets.
Sheriff’s Department Sees Spike in Arrests
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has made drunken driving a top priority for his department, with arrest numbers topping 1,000 in four of the last six years. For Clarke, a behavioral change to diminish drunken driving can be reached with “multiple interventions,” such as enforcement, education and legislation.
Clarke told Patch that at this point in the effort to decrease drunken driving, he needs “Madison to get on board” with these proposed legislative changes.
“I could put a thousand more cars out there, but we need some more help legislatively,” he said. “No other state has this carnage. They make it clear that there will be consequences. In Wisconsin, we do not send that message.”Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
