Insight into an Alcohol Patrol with the Caledonia Police Department

Editor's note: For years I've written brief articles about police departments receiving alcohol and speed control grants from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. I wondered how they differed from regular patrols, what police officers looked for and how often they come across people driving under the influence of prescription medications.

So I asked Chief Toby Schey if I could go on a police ride along with one of the officers and he agreed to let me do it. For four hours I road with police officer Robert Lyle. He told me about the requirements of the grant, how it can take up to a year to get a blood draw tested for prescription medications, and I watched several people do a field sobriety test. And while the final numbers of the alcohol patrol aren't readily available, I thought this video might give readers some insight into alcohol patrols.