Wisconsin State Patrol Issues Aerial Enforcement In Douglas County

WISCONSIN — Keep your eyes to the sky, the Wisconsin State Patrol is going aerial to patrol Northwest Wisconsin.

Pilots are watching for traffic violations from the air this week.

The State Patrol’s Air Support Unit set post on Monday above U.S. Highway 2 and 53 in Douglas County.

“We’ve got a plane in the air, and the pilot in the air actually has a better view than we would on the ground, and they’re better able to identify reckless driving, aggressive driving, speed, things of that nature. And they will then call down a vehicle description to a ground unit. They’ll confirm the ground unit is actually behind the vehicle commit whatever violation, and then confirm that they have stopped the right vehicle,” said Trooper Chris Saraniecki.

Air Support will do so again on October 15 and 16, near U.S. Highway 53 in Eau Claire County.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says that aerial enforcement is one way to enhance public safety efforts.

Further explaining that from the air, it’s much easier to spot drivers who are speeding or driving aggressively.

When a pilot see’s a violation, they communicate with ground-based units to initiate a traffic stop.

WisDOT says many aerial enforcement missions are announced publicly with hopes of getting people to voluntarily comply with traffic laws — rather than just trying to catch drivers.