MPD details OWI patrol plan for night before Thanksgiving

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- MPD is warning people to plan ahead for a safe ride Thanksgiving week as the department ramps up its OWI patrols.

All motorcycle officers will be on duty the day before Thanksgiving, which is typically a night that sees a lot of drinking.

MPD wants people to know they'll be out Wednesday night patrolling the entire city for impaired drivers.

They'll focus on some strategic areas, but they also said impaired driving can happen anywhere.

Sgt. Matthew Phillipson said, "Our officers will be out, they'll be making stops, they will be testing, and they will arrest."

It'll be all hands on deck for MPD's motorcycle patrol unit as they work to deter impaired driving and get unsafe drivers off the road.

Sgt. Phillipson says some areas will be specifically targeted, like Water Street, Brady, and Bluemound, which all have a lot of bars.

But officers will be everywhere. "It is a problem that affects the entire city of Milwaukee. It just doesn't stop at the bar areas."

Many of the OWI taskforce officers will be working overtime hours, similar to New Year's Eve and other high-profile days.

Those staffing costs are covered by a federal grant that funds overtime assignments.

Phillipson told us, "A successful mission for us is we deploy all night and we don't find an impaired driver."

But that doesn't always happen. Just a month ago, 5-year-old Jaylen Sloan was killed in a suspected drunk driving crash.

Jaylen's father was believed to be speeding when he hit two parked cars, then a tree. Jaylen and his injured twin brother were in the front passenger seat and not wearing seatbelts.

"Your impaired driving can affect not only you but everyone else on the roadway," said Sgt. Phillipson.

So far this year, 65 people have died in crashes in Milwaukee. Sgt. Phillipson said on average, one-third of fatal crashes involve an impaired driver.

The best way to avoid that, he said, is to set up a ride or have a designated driver.

Many people are doing that, "however, every single night, we come across an incident where it still happens. So those things are only available to the people that take advantage of them."

Sgt. Phillipson says the entire motorcycle unit will be deployed Wednesday, which for the early shift means 15-20 officers. He repeatedly said MPD's goal is for everyone to plan ahead.