BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – In an effort to keep our roads free of drunken drivers, Brown County is examining where those drivers are getting their last drink.
Tuesday, officials heading up the project took a look at the most recent results.
“That’s really what it’s all about. We can make an impact and get less drunk drivers on the road,” said Capt. Dan Sandberg of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s a part of a study, called ‘Place of Last Drink’, involving eight different law enforcement agencies.
It began earlier this year.
Sandberg tells FOX 11 the Brown County Traffic Safety Commission took a look at the second round of results.
“This is something that is definitely not going away. We’re going to revisit the numbers every three months, every quarter.”
The “Place of Last Drink” results showed:
From April through June there were 237 OWI arrests in Brown County. That’s up slightly from the 227 recorded from January through March. A total of five bars were mentioned by drunk drivers.
Two in Green Bay
One In Ashwaubenon
One in De Pere
One in Suamico
That’s a decline from the 8 bars mentioned last quarter.
From those, Sandberg tells FOX 11 only one bar has made the list twice. XS Nightclub in Green Bay.
“Almost 400 establishments, only one place is kind of popping up on the radar. And working with the Brown County Tavern League, they’re going to work with that nightclub and see if we can make some changes.”
The commission is working in partnership with the Brown County Tavern League.
Tavern League President, Don Mjelde, says the goal is to cut down on over-serving.
“Letting people be aware who have had a significant amount. That there are different trainings that you can do to be able to have a more responsible serving.”
While the second quarter numbers have been promising, Sandberg says they’re waiting for at least a year to fully gauge the results.
“Be interesting to have a full year’s worth of data to kind of see,” he said. “And find areas where we can do the most improvement.”
