Motor Service Patrol
Program Description:
The Motorist Service Patrol began as a two-year pilot project on December 20, 2001. The program is operated by the Dane County Sheriff's Office under a contract with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The total cost of this two-year pilot is $550,660.00, funded by a Federal Grant and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The vehicle is an extended cap, four-wheel drive pickup truck with special equipment to assist motorists. The vehicle is equipped with a changeable message sign, appropriate fluids, traffic cones and other appropriate equipment needed to assist a stranded motorist.
Hours of operation will be 7:00AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, and operates on USH 12-18 from Interstate 39 - 90 to Old Sauk Road.
All services provided by the Dane County Sheriff's Office Motorist Service Patrol are free of charge to the motorist.
The program is being evaluated by the University of Wisconsin Madison to determine the overall effectiveness.
DATA FROM THE MOTOR SERVICE PATROL TRUCK |
|
January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2003 |
|
Hours worked |
6,149.75 |
Miles traveled |
124,246 |
Fuel used (gallons) |
13,380.70 |
Total incidents |
11,042 |
% self generated |
65.55 |
Average time spent on each incident |
11.8 Minutes |
Call volume |
|
average calls per hour of operation |
1.65 |
Type of calls |
|
stalled vehicles |
5,039 |
courtesy check |
1,419 |
% of vehicles assisted |
71.9 |
crashes |
1,269 |
assist fire/ems |
476 |
debris |
1,528 |
pedestrians/bicyclist |
276 |
provided fuel |
399 |
jump start |
179 |
minor repairs |
663 |
transport off roadway |
308 |
issue citation |
21 |
issue written warning |
93 |
Services Not Provided
The goal of the Motorist Service Patrol is to mitigate the impact of minor traffic incidents by providing free roadside assistance. It is not intended to provide all of the services that may be necessary to mitigate these minor incidents. Services that are not provided by the Motorist Service Patrol include:
- Traffic Crash Investigations
- General Traffic Enforcement, including speed limits
- Criminal Investigations
Enforcement Duties and Assistance to Other Law Enforcement Agencies
There are instances where the Motorist Service Patrol may be required to take enforcement actions, or upon request assist another agency. The Motorist Service Patrol will follow all policies and procedures of the Dane County Sheriff's Office. The duties of a Deputy Sheriff will supersede any conflicting duties of the Motorist Service Patrol.
Should an incident occur on the Beltline within one of the adjacent local communities and local law enforcement responds, the Motorist Service Patrol will defer to the jurisdiction of the local law enforcement agency present. The Motorist Service Patrol will be responsible for clearing the beltline of vehicles or debris that causes slowdowns. Deputies will focus on these issues and will not be responsible for criminal or traffic crash investigations that occur on the Beltline.