Washington County Sheriff - Traffic Safety
Be attentive while driving, wear your seatbelt and drive the speed limit. Here are some ways our Deputies are keeping Washington County roadways safe. It helps to remind people to slow down, drive with care and not get frustrated while driving.
Help Keep Our Highways Safe
Traffic safety remains a high priority for the Sheriff’s Office. Through high visibility patrol and the enforcement of traffic laws, patrol Deputies strive to reduce accidents, injuries and motor vehicle related deaths on our county highways.
Over 3,699 traffic citations were issued by Deputies in 2019.
- A total of 1,496 citations were issued for moving violations, particularly speed related violations, including too fast for conditions and unreasonable and imprudent speed. 464 citations were issued for operating while intoxicated.
- Over 1,2203 citations were issued for non-moving violations. While these may be less frequently encountered by Deputies, they involve serious traffic safety issues such as operating after suspension or revocation, seatbelt, child restraint and motor vehicle equipment violations.
- Nearly 3,215 written warnings were issued by Deputies. Speed related violations accounted for the majority of warnings issued to motorists. Stop sign violations, failure to obey a sign or signal, operating left of center, inattentive driving and vehicle registration problems account for many of the remaining warnings issued to motorists.
- A total of 1,489 Equipment Violation Notices were issued by Deputies. Commonly referred to as 5-day notices, these notices require that the motorist correct specific equipment, registration, or driver’s license violation within a specific timeframe. Failure to comply with the Notice results in the issuance of a traffic citation for the violation. Expired registration, non-registration and vehicle lighting violations account for the majority of notices issued by Deputies.
SPEED & OWI GRANTS
The Sheriff’s Office continues to participate in grant programs through the Wisconsin Bureau of Transportation Safety for enhanced speed and/or drunk driving enforcement. These grants are used to put additional patrol Deputies on the road to enforce speeding and drunk driving laws. In a collaborative effort, a portion of these funds have been shared with the local police departments in West Bend, Jackson, Germantown and Hartford.
CITIZEN TRAFFIC COMPLAINTS
The Sheriff’s Office wants to be responsive to traffic-related problems which are reported by concerned citizens. If you have a specific traffic-related concern, you may contact the Sheriff’s Office at 262-335-4420. Ask to speak to a shift supervisor. The supervisor will discuss the problem with you and explain what options may be available, such as additional patrol in a specific area, setting up a radar trailer or even a referral to the Highway Safety Committee.
Special assignments such as these are conducted as time permits. Please be aware that the Sheriff’s Office receives several hundred special traffic enforcement requests from citizens each year. We do our best to give each request an appropriate amount of attention.