Police Across State Begin Crackdown On Drunk Driving

Labor Day weekend is still two weeks away, but law enforcement agencies around Wisconsin have already begun a holiday crackdown on drunk driving.

It’s part of a national campaign called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” which starts today and runs for about two and a half weeks.

Randy Romanski, who runs the Wisconsin State Patrol’s safety programs, says federal and state money will pay for more cops,deputies and state troopers to work more and longer shifts. “It’s a heightened level,” he says. “The goal is to have highly visible enforcement as a deterrent.”

The state patrol says drunk drivers killed 223 people in Wisconsin last year, which constitutes 37 percent of all traffic deaths. Another 3,000 people were injured.