5 counties involved in still-secretive highway safety initiative

By Brennan Nardi of the Journal Sentinel staff

A drug checkpoint on Interstate 94 in southern Milwaukee County singled out northbound vehicles for searches for several hours Thursday, law enforcement officials confirmed.

"Drug check point ahead . . . traffic may slow," an electronic message board near W. College Ave. warned motorists approaching the checkpoint zone for much of the afternoon. A string of cars was pulled over between W. Ryan Road and W. Holt Ave. about 3:45 p.m.

Law enforcement officials were extremely short on specifics; none of them allowed their names to be used. Several officers referred to the checkpoint as a "traffic safety initiative."

A lieutenant from one southeastern Wisconsin sheriff’s department put it this way, however: "We’re looking for cars that obviously fit a profile, and we’re looking to see if we can find anyone (with drugs)."
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Officials in the Milwaukee, Racine and Ozaukee counties’ sheriff’s departments confirmed that five counties in southeastern Wisconsin have joined forces in the highway safety effort. The other two counties involved are Waukesha and Kenosha.

The lieutenant said checkpoints have been put up on freeways and at Mitchell International Airport, though he declined to say for how long.

While Thursday’s checkpoint was restricted to Milwaukee County, officials confirmed that other checkpoints ultimately will be set up in each of the five counties.

"We are involved in a collaborative effort with four other counties in southeastern Wisconsin . . . over many different issues," said another lieutenant. "Drug interdiction and highway safety happen to be a couple of those issues, but that’s only part of the issues that we’re concerned with."

A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday in Kenosha County to discuss the effort in greater detail.