Driving in a daze

On Feb. 28, an officer was near the West MacArthur Avenue and Stein Boulevard four-way stop intersection conducting a stationary stop sign patrol. Around 7:30 a.m., the officer noticed a silver sedan approaching the intersection at an estimated speed of 35 mph.

Traveling south on Stein Boulevard, the driver of the sedan accelerated through the intersection with no regard for the stop sign. The officer turned on their emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop for the sedan.

The vehicle was a Ford Focus and had a Wisconsin plate. The officer introduced themselves to the driver and explained why they were stopped. 

The officer heard the driver, who was the registered owner of the vehicle, say something to the effect of, “My mind is spaced out. There are too many things occupying my mind.”

The driver did not have proof of auto insurance. The officer conducted record checks on the driver and their vehicle; both returned valid with no wants. A Wisconsin Uniform Traffic Citation was issued to the driver for violating WI SS 346.46(1): failure to stop at a stop sign.

The officer explained the citation to the driver, warned them for not holding proof of auto insurance, answered any questions they had and ended the traffic stop.

You’re not you when you’re hungry

At around 9:27 a.m. on March 2, an officer was parked in their squad car, facing east and conducting stationary radar patrols. They noticed a black sedan traveling west at an alarming speed.

The speed limit posted in the area was 25 mph. The officer turned on their radar and tracked the vehicle’s speed at 44, 43 and 41 mph, locking it in at 41 mph. 

When the sedan drove by the squad car, the officer activated their emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop, eventually parking at 4th Avenue and Water Street. The vehicle was observed to be a rental Mazda CX-30 with a Wisconsin plate.

The officer introduced themselves to the driver and explained the reason for the stop. The driver said that he was aware of the area’s speed limit and acknowledged that he was speeding but expressed that he was in a hurry to get to a restaurant close by.

The driver claimed that the vehicle was covered through his auto insurance but was unable to provide the evidence. The officer conducted a record check on the driver and vehicle, both returning valid. The rental Mazda CX-30 was found to belong to Ean Holdings LLC.

The officer issued a Wisconsin Traffic Citation for violating WI SS 346.57(5): exceeding speed zones. The officer explained the citation to the driver, warned him for not holding proof of auto insurance, answered any questions he had and ended the traffic stop.

Who let the dogs out?

At about 6:33 a.m. on March 4, an officer was driving a squad car on University Drive when they noticed a medium-sized black dog running around in the Bridgman residence hall parking lot. No one appeared to be with the dog.

The night before this sighting, the officer had talked with someone in the Towers lot, who told them they had seen a dog in the HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital lot. The person told the officer it might have been a black lab.

The officer parked, exited their car and tried calling to the loose dog, but it disappeared. The officer was unable to find it in any of the nearby parking lots. The officer decided to call the Communications Center and request the situation be broadcasted on the dispatch screen.

The center informed the officer that animal control would be starting their shift at 8 a.m. that morning. There is no further information at this time.

Matczak can be reached at [email protected].