On July 28, the Wausau Police Department along with Everest Metro Police Department worked together to conduct what they call high visibility OWI patrols to crackdown on drunk drivers.
Officers focused on Grand and Schofield Avenues to pull drivers over for minor infractions and testing their sobriety, as OWI checkpoints are illegal in Wisconsin.
According to Ben Bliven with Wausau Police Department, during the enforcement officers stopped 41 vehicles. They issued 19 tickets, cited six drunk drivers, issued two felony warrants and handed out 37 warnings.
Forty-four thousand drunk drivers are arrested in Wisconsin each year. But for each driver that is arrested, an estimated 100 to 2,000 drivers get away with it.
Lieutenant Matt Barnes with the Wausau Police Department says alcohol plays a part in nearly 50% of all fatal crashes.
