MILWAUKEE — The Marquette University Police Department has introduced a new traffic enforcement unit in an effort to reduce reckless driving on and around campus.
The effort launched on June 1st, and in its first 11 weeks of operation, the Marquette University Police Department’s new traffic enforcement unit conducted over 200 traffic stops. In those stops, officers issued 171 City of Milwaukee citations and made 14 arrests for drivers operating while intoxicated.
That is a 165% increase in traffic stops from the same period in 2024, and a 242% increase in traffic citations. MUPD says they made two OWI arrests during this period last year.
MUPD hopes this initiative will ensure the safety of pedestrians on and around campus.
“MUPD is committed to the safety of our community and this new unit has certainly aided in our ongoing pedestrian safety efforts,” MUPD Chief Edith Hudson said. “College campuses are pedestrian-focused spaces, and with a small investment in speed detection equipment and additional officer training, we are making strides in mitigating reckless driving in and around our campus. Our goal is to create an effective deterrence to reckless driving in our community and ultimately change dangerous traffic behaviors.”
The new traffic enforcement unit is staffed by on-duty officers without direct assignments for their shift. Those officers were issued police lidar (light detection and ranging) devices for speed detection. The device allows them to identify, pull over, and cite speeding and reckless drivers.
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