Click It or Ticket Enforcement Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2023

Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign reminds drivers to always buckle up The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office will join law enforcement agencies across the country to step up patrols and remind drivers that buckling up can save a life. The Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign begins May 22 and runs through June 4, 2023.

“Seat belts are proven to save lives in a crash, but many still don’t buckle up,” Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said. “We’re stepping up enforcement right now because we want seat belt use to become an automatic habit for all drivers and passengers in Wisconsin.”

Thousands of lives could be saved each year in the U.S. if every person was properly restrained on the road. In Wisconsin, preliminary numbers show 170 drivers and passengers who died in crashes in 2022 were not wearing a seat belt. An average of more than 2,300 unbuckled occupants are hurt in crashes every year.

A 2022 survey found 87.5% of Wisconsin motorists wear seat belts. That number has been dropping in recent years and falls below the nationwide seat belt use rate of 90.4% in 2021.

Wisconsin’s primary seat belt law allows law enforcement to stop and cite motorists for failing to wear a seat belt. Penalties are higher for transporting unrestrained children and passengers can also be cited. Failure to fasten a seat belt is among the most common traffic violations in Wisconsin.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020, 58% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night were not wearing their seat belts. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement.

The campaign also coincides with Memorial Day weekend, which can be an especially dangerous time on the roads, so officers will be encouraging seat belt use as motorists travel throughout Wisconsin.

“The Click It or Ticket campaign aims to keep all travelers safe during this busy season,”Dunn County Sheriff’s Office said. “Safety should be the top priority every time you get in a vehicle. Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same.”

For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.

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Dunn County Sheriff Squad Truck Damaged in Pursuit of Stolen Vehicle on Interstate 94

On May 3rd, 2023 shortly after 11:00 PM, Dunn County Sheriffs' Deputies were advised of a vehicle pursuit entering Dunn County. The Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office was in pursuit of a vehicle where an operator fled from law enforcement after being interrupted with a syringe in their arm while passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Dunn County Deputies successfully deployed tire deflation devices on the fleeing vehicle just outside of Menomonie on the interstate. After the vehicle's speed slowed down, deputies utilized a moving roadblock maneuver and successfully stopped the vehicle. After the vehicle stopped, the operator accelerated and attempted to escape the roadblock, striking a Dunn County squad truck causing significant damage.

A Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver was then conducted and the suspect vehicle became disabled in the median of the Interstate. The driver fled on foot and Deputies pursuit on foot across the traffic lanes and into a wooded area south of the Interstate. The suspect was taken into custody after the brief foot pursuit.

The vehicle was stolen out of St. Paul, MN and also was displaying a different set of stolen license plates. Further investigation also revealed that the same vehicle fled from St. Croix County law enforcement earlier in the day and a vehicle pursuit led from Hudson, WI to the area of St. Paul, MN before it was terminated.

The suspect was turned over to Eau Claire County Sheriffs' deputies where he was transported to their jail for Felony Charges.

Fatal Structure Fire - Town of Tiffany

On May 1, 2023 at approximately 8:19 AM, the Dunn County Communication Center received a 911 call from an individual reporting a structure fire at a residence on 50th St., in the Town of Tiffany, Dunn County, Wisconsin. The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, Glenwood City Fire Department, and Boyceville EMS were dispatched to the scene.

While engaging the fire, firefighters located a person in the residence. The person located, a 74 year-old male, was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Dunn County Medical Examiner. The incident remains under investigation by the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, Dunn County Medical Examiner’s Office and Glenwood City Fire Department.

Also assisting at the scene was the Boyceville Fire Department.

Sheriff Kevin Bygd