Wisconsin State Patrol Plans Highway 53 Aerial Enforcement In Douglas County On September 3

They're telling you in advance for a reason. You might want to slow down and put the distractions away.

The Wisconsin State Patrol is alerting drivers in various parts of the state about an upcoming aerial enforcement that will occur along specific routes.  One of those aerial enforcement focuses is planned for for our area - in Douglas County and Highway 53 for Friday, September 4.

What does that mean?  The state patrol will have aircraft in the air, spotting drivers who are exceeding the speed limit or driving recklessly; using two-way communication, law enforcement in the aircraft will communicate to state patrol officers on the ground who are waiting in squad cars, ready to initiate a traffic stop.

While this particular aerial event is occurring during the busy Labor Day holiday weekend - when traffic is usually heavy, the program is an ongoing one; similar events are scheduled from time to time across the state.

The information about the aerial enforcement event was made on the Wisconsin State Patrol's social media.  In their words:  "Many of these enforcement efforts are publicly announced ahead of time - reinforcing that our goal is voluntary compliance with traffic laws - not to simply stop drivers."

Wisconsin State Patrol's Aircraft program benefits from federal transportation funds.  Here are some details about the program from their official website:

"[The program] consists of three aircraft (including three Cessna 172 Skyhawks) and five pilots.  This program provides aerial support to ground-based units in traffic law enforcement.  They detect speeding and reckless drivers from surveillance overhead.  By use of a timing device (VASCAR) the pilots can clock target vehicles suspected of traveling at excessive speeds and then call down to waiting ground cars to initiate a traffic stop."

In addition to the speeding and reckless driving work, the aircraft also assists other law enforcement activity around the state. The State Patrol website lists the following other law enforcement activities that they sometimes help with:

• Drug activity surveillance
• Covert surveillance
• Tracking of criminal suspects
• VIP escort support
• Searches for missing persons
• Searched for downed airplanes
• Aerial photography
• Emergency organ transports

To get more information about the Wisconsin State Patrol or their aerial enforcement activities, click here to visit the states official website.