WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Reckless driving citations typically come with a $200 fine in Wisconsin, but West Allis is utilizing a different citation to significantly increase the cost for the most egregious offenses.
For just about a year, West Allis has been ticketing the most dangerous reckless drivers with a citation called "negligent operation of a vehicle" because state law allows it to come with a $10,000 fine.
The police department says just four drivers have gotten that citation so far because it can only be used in limited circumstances.
West Allis police shared footage showing two of those incidents where drivers received that hefty fine.
The drivers fled officers in both cases that occurred this calendar year. Video shows one crashed into a tree and the other ended with officers drawing their guns.
Deputy Chief Bob Fletcher says officers tried to pull over the driver of this red car in June.
"It was the middle of the day pursuit,” Deputy Chief Fletcher said.
The driver sped through a parking lot, weaved through cars stuck at a red light, drove into oncoming traffic, and hopped a curb before stop sticks ended the pursuit.
"That person certainly endangered a lot of people with their driving and luckily nobody got hurt,” Deputy Chief Fletcher said.
Police reports show the other incident from this year happened in January.
Video shows the driver refused to cooperate with police and took off.
“He's all over the road,” the officer told dispatchers.
He crashed a few minutes into the chase.
Not only do court records show both drivers were criminally charged with fleeing police and recklessly endangering safety, but they were also fined $12,661 by the City of West Allis. Deputy Chief Fletcher says $10,000 is for the negligent operation of a vehicle citation and the rest covers municipal court fees.
"The key difference basically between a simple reckless driving and your negligent operation of the vehicle is you're basically driving in a manner that's going to put people in danger that are not on the roadway,” he said.
TMJ4 asked Deputy Chief Fletcher if he believes the larger fine is making a difference.
“It's been a year, but I think it's really too soon still,” he replied.
Darion Holt had no clue it existed.
"It's beyond outrageous,” he said.
Holt says he’s gotten reckless driving citations in the past and he isn’t a fan of the fine.
"You never know what the next person's going through because you have a lot of different resources out here that can really help different people that put themselves in those predicaments, but giving them a fine like that, no, that's not humane,” he said.
Kim Green works in downtown West Allis. She also wasn’t aware of the expensive fine.
“It's a good idea, a very good idea because you don't want someone else to go through what I had to go through,” she said.
Green says she was hit by a reckless driver earlier this year in West Allis and it left her severely injured.
"I had a hairline fracture of the pelvis. I was in a wheelchair for three months, in the hospital for three days, and I couldn't walk on my one leg for 12 weeks,” she said.
Green says the reckless driver who caused her to crash took off and was never caught.
Deputy Chief Fletcher says the department hopes drivers who enter the city know officers take reckless driving seriously and the expensive ticket is one way to show it won’t be tolerated.
"It's something that we felt we needed to have as a tool,” he said. “It's one of the many tools in our toolbox to keep people driving in a normal manner and not endangering other people."
West Allis police say people who don’t pay the steep fine in a timely manner will have a judgment issued against them in court. That way, the city can alert the state to intercept any money they would get back in tax returns until it’s paid in full.
