Full Notification

Middleton Police Department & University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department report enforcement results from their Speed Task Force Grant.
 
As part of state and national efforts to help keep roadways safe for all travelers, Police Officers with the City of Middleton and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Departments made 450 traffic stops during our Speed Traffic Grant, between June - August 2023.  Our departments have focused an additional 320 hours on Speed enforcement during this timeframe.  During the grant, officers issued a total of 208 Speed citations.
 
While the focus of the initiative was to deter speeding, officers also issued citations and made arrests during traffic stops for the following: 

• 2 operating while intoxicated arrests
• 23 operating after revocation or suspension violations
• 2 open intoxicants violations
• 8 vehicle registration violations
• 24 other moving violations
• 2 safety belt violations

• 1 drug arrest
• 1 misdemeanor arrest 

Officers issued a total of 270 citations and 236 written warnings during the enforcements.
 
"Our officers work throughout the year to help make our roadways and communities as safe as possible for everyone, but this grant allows us to focus our attention on speed violations,” Sergeant Quamme said.
 
So far in 2023, there have been 869 crashes reported in Dane County, resulting in 9 fatalities and 314 injuries.  Driving just 5mph over the speed limit puts drivers, their passengers and everyone else on the road at a greater risk of a serious crash.  Stopping distances increase and reaction time decreases at higher speeds.  Crashes also are more violent at higher speeds.  Speeding can be expensive, as well as dangerous.  Under state law, the costs of speeding citations range from $175 to $893, along with three to six demerit points.