MILWAUKEE — One of Milwaukee’s biggest issues continues to drive the city crazy.
Reckless driving is a phenomenon that’s had a stranglehold on Milwaukee for some time now and Police Chief Jeff Norman says it remains “a top priority of the department,” according to our partners TMJ4 News.
Norman points to the 17-percent decrease in car crashes this past year as proof that Milwaukee’s Traffic Safety Unit is effective.
“The numbers show we have that type of improvement in terms of crashes and the accountability effort, whether it is tows or whether it is citations,” Norman tells TMJ4 News.
The police department say they’ve increased both the number of cars towed and the amount of citations distributed for reckless driving. However, deaths from crashes are still on the rise.
There’ve been 77 people to die in a car crash this year compared to 72 last year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
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“For one, our reckless driving citations has increased since it began. The challenge is you can look at some enforcement as a glass half empty or a glass half full. So, is there not enough enforcement or is there not a need?” Norman asks in the one-on-one with TMJ4 News.
He says budget constraints is the reason for the lack of officers ready for duty but ensures that the traffic safety unit is “still dedicated to daily enforcement.”
Norman thinks working with community partners like the Sherman Park Reckless Driving Task Force, Vision Zero, etc. is having the greatest impact on curbing reckless driving. Next year, he plans to keep his current model of enforcement while continuing to bolster community partnerships.
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