Repeat drunken driving remains state hazard

Wisconsin continues to make little headway in getting chronically intoxicated motorists off its roads, the Gannett Wisconsin Media Investigative Team determined.

Half of Wisconsin’s 72 counties saw no change or had more fifth or greater operating while intoxicated convictions in 2014 than their previous five-year average, the I-Team found.

Statewide, 822 motorists were convicted of their fifth or greater OWI offense last year. That total is up from 819 convictions in 2013, Wisconsin Department of Transportation data showed. The lowest total during the past decade was 2009, with 756 convictions for chronic offenders.

Special report: Under the Influence

Counties where last year’s number of chronic OWI convictions exceeded their county’s previous five-year average included: Dane, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Oconto, Portage and Waushara.

2014 marked the seventh straight year Brown County had at least 50 chronic OWI offenders. Last year’s 51 convictions dropped slightly from Brown County’s previous five-year average of 56. Meanwhile, neighboring Outagamie County had 24 convictions in 2014. It averaged 25 during the previous five-year stretch.

Elsewhere, Winnebago and Marathon counties saw no change. Their 2014 totals mirrored their previous five-year averages of 37 and 27 OWI convictions, respectively, for motorists convicted at least five times.

Repeat offenders remain a hazard again this year across Wisconsin.

In June, a 64-year-old Green Bay man was given a four-year prison term for his 10th OWI. At 1:30 a.m. on March 1, the man pulled his truck into a west-side business and fell asleep with the engine running, the complaint stated. Police officers found the truck was still in drive, but the man’s foot was on the brake. The man told police he had at least six drinks in celebration of his birthday.

On Sept. 18, a 47-year-old De Pere man was arrested for his 9th OWI in Shawano County just south of Gresham. The man tried to flee sheriff’s deputies around 12:30 a.m. before crashing into a ditch, suffering minor injuries.

“In some ways, I think we’re going in the opposite direction in not doing enough,” said Sen. Tim Carpenter, a Milwaukee Democrat, who has been an outspoken critic of Wisconsin’s drunken driving laws.

Last November, Gannett Wisconsin Media published an exclusive eight-day special report, “Under the Influence,” examining the state’s struggle to combat repeat drunken driving.

The series revealed that penalties for drunken driving are less stringent in Wisconsin than in most nearby states, yet state lawmakers have repeatedly rejected efforts to toughen penalties on OWI offenders.

Wisconsin remains the only state in the country that classifies a first offense for drunken driving as a traffic citation, not a crime.

Related: Panel calls for tougher OWI penalties

Dick Kendall, whose son, Kevin, was killed as a result of a 2004 drunken driving crash in Langlade County, said state politicians have significant work ahead to address drunken driving.

“When a person has a seventh OWI, that’s just how many times they were caught,” Kendall said. “It’s frightening to think about how many other times they didn’t, and when they’re behind the wheel in an oncoming vehicle, you’re in jeopardy.”

In Winnebago County, total OWI arrests decreased from 336 in 2010 to last year’s total of 234, Sheriff John Matz said. His county remains on pace to make exactly 234 arrests again this year, Matz said this week.

Matz said that programs that force repeat offenders to make drastic lifestyle changes such as absolute sobriety seem to be more effective than excessive fines or periods of incarceration.

“We’re moving toward the right track,” Matz said. “It’s a culture change. It’s no longer accepting some of the things we had in the past.”

The key is convincing offenders to confront their selfish behavior before it’s too late, the sheriff said. Otherwise, they run the risk of getting into a crash that may injure or kill another motorist.

“The long-term effects on that family of that victim, they feel that impact forever,” Matz said.

Related: Laws on drunken driving seen as tough enough

One recently proposed bill at the state capital calls for more prison time for chronic offenders convicted of their fifth or sixth OWI. Another bill aims to increase penalties for persons convicted of at least three OWIs.

Carpenter said he supports making first-offense drunken driving conviction a crime in Wisconsin. “I think we need to strengthen our laws, and I still think we need to help people get treatment in conjunction with stronger penalties,” Carpenter told Gannett Wisconsin Media.

However, it’s possible that the ongoing efforts to crack down on OWI offenders will be futile. Efforts to curb drunken driving may get overshadowed by more controversial issues. Last week, Gov. Scott Walker announced plans to overhaul state government’s century-old civil service system to make it easier to hire or fire state employees.

Not helping matters, the session in Madison appears to be a shorter one, tentatively slated to finish in early April, Carpenter said. “I can see a possible glimmer of hope,” Carpenter said. “I’m hoping more drunken driving bills are still introduced, but I am also concerned there’s not a lot of time left.”

Kendall said he, too, remains guarded about the prospects of enacting tougher laws this legislative session that target repeat drunken driving.

“It’s an unpopular issue because so much of our economy is driven off socialization ... beer, wine and booze,” he said.