Town Police to Enforce 'Booze and Belts'

Want to enjoy more beer or bubbly at that holiday party? Make sure you have a designated driver.

To help keep the holiday season safe and prevent injury or fatal crashes, Town of Brookfield Police will increase patrols in December to arrest drunken drivers and enforce seat belt laws.

The Town will participate in a statewide law enforcement campaign dubbed "Booze and Belts" from Dec. 9 to 17 organized by the state Department of Transportation.

Police Chief Chris Perket said Wednesday he plans to add three extra squads the evening of Dec. 9 and an extra squad for four-hour shifts on six to eight days of the campaign.

The increased patrols are funded in part by a $15,000 grant the town received from the Wisconsin DOT's Bureau of Transportation Safety to combat speeding through September 2012, Perket said. The grant requires the town to run certain high visibility enforcement actions with at least three squads with a state or national campaign, such as the "Booze and Belts" and "Click it or Ticket" campaign in May.

"The Police Department's goal is not to make more drunken driving arrests or write more safety belt tickets," Perket said in a news release. "We are striving to save lives and prevent injuries, so we hope that people will voluntarily decide to buckle up and drive sober. But if they don’t, our intensified enforcement will increase the risks of getting caught.