- Governor Jim Doyle
- Page Four
- August 29,2008
In 1990, the United States Supreme Court, in Michigan v. Sitz, gave their opinion of sobriety checkpoints in no uncertain terms:
"No one can seriously dispute the magnitude of the drunken driving problem or the States' interest in eradicating it. Media reports of alcohol-related death and mutilation on the Nation's roads are legion. The anecdotal is confirmed by the statistical. Drunk drivers cause an annual death toll of over 25, 000 and in the same time span cause nearly one million personal injuries and more than five billion dollars in property damage ... The increasing slaughter on our highways ... now reaches the astounding figures only heard of on the batt/efield ... Conversely, the weight bearing on the other scale - the measure of the intrusion on motorists stopped briefly at sobriety checkpoints - is slight.
In sum, the balance of the State's interest in preventing drunken driving, the extent to which this system can reasonably be said to advance that interest, and the degree of intrusion upon individual motorists who are briefly stopped, weighs in favor of the state program. We therefore hold that it is consistent with the Fourth Amendment."
This is a public safety matter where the needs of the public must outweigh the interests of the powerful lobbies that encircle and obfuscate this issue. As sheriff, an elected official, I represent the public's interest in matters such as these. Governor, we cannot just talk tough about drunk driving, we must advocate through action. I have seen firsthand the carnage. I have met with the survivors of these tragedies, as I know that you have. And I am enraged.
On April 25, 2008, another in a series of interminable drunk driving tragedies rocked Southeastern Wisconsin. While many have become inured to these slaughters, this one was particularly compelling: A bright, 39-year-old professional, a pregnant school administrator, Jennifer Bukosky, murdered along with her 10-year-old daughter, Courtney, and her unborn daughter, Sophia. Her 12-year-old son, Zachary, was gravely injured as well. But in this tragedy, the killer was compelling as well: Mark M. Benson, a 55-year-old former surgeon who had been convicted three times of driving under the influence. His third conviction and license revocation came two days before the fatal crash, and in fact, Benson was to begin a 75-day jail term the following month.
So, a scene that has been played out innumerous times, and that we have all seen, was repeated: Public cries of indignation, a roadside vigil, and a memorial service with three caskets: One large, and two small. In the media, Jennifer's grieving mother, Judith Jenkins, grasped for reason, valiantly hoping to see something salvaged from the tragic crash:
"I'd like to think that my daughter and two granddaughters didn't die in vain, and that some good will come out of this. We're working really hard with legislators to
