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Cops Gone Wild: Watch: One-Armed Woman Proves Cop Wrong During Texting and Driving Stop
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Mt. Pleasant police, fire departments seeing increased workloads
Holly Gilvary
MOUNT PLEASANT — Police calls in Mount Pleasant are “consistently going up,” with the police department seeing a 4.7% increase from 2024 to 2025 and a 7.5% increase from 2023 to 2025.
That’s according to Mount Pleasant Police Chief Robert Botsch, who delivered the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s 2025 annual report to village trustees May 11.
South Shore Fire Chief Dustin Ellis also presented the fire department’s annual report.
"As of today at 3 o'clock, we're about 300 calls higher this year than we were at the same time last year, already," Botsch said.
MPPD received 26,115 calls last year, according to the annual report.
Botsch said the department is focused on addressing hazardous driving, such as speeding and impaired operation, adding that overall traffic accidents increased in 2025 because the volume of traffic is increasing.
"Everything is unfortunately going up in the traffic area because we have a lot more traffic that is in our area," he said. "We've got a lot more construction that's going on."
The department reported 722 wrecks resulting in property damage, 256 resulting in injuries and 134 involving a hit and run.
The number of traffic stops is up as officers conduct more patrols "to try and adjust behavior," Botsch said.
This summer, MPPD will bring back its PROTECT Initiative (Proactive Operations, Traffic Enforcement and Crime-suppression Team) that it piloted in 2025 to provide additional traffic patrols and proactive enforcement from June 1 to Aug. 31.
“(Officers are) in the hotels, they’re frequenting bars, they’re trying to get in front of problems," Botsch said. "They’re a problem-solving group that just gets out and they have time to do other things.”
While all MPPD officers conduct traffic patrols and proactive enforcement during their shifts, they do so in between calls, according to Botsch. The designated PROTECT officers have the time to practice proactive enforcement for their entire shifts.
“People might complain that they've got speeders on their block; we might not have a squad during normal hours that can sit on that block because they're jumping from call to call to call to call to call,” he said. “Now, in the summer, from June 1 to Aug. 31, we might have that capability because now we've got a car that we've pulled out to just do proactive stuff.”
Last summer, PROTECT issued 177 traffic citations, conducted 13 felony arrests, 35 misdemeanor arrests, 15 municipal arrests, 23 warrant-related arrests, 39 narcotics-related arrests, three firearm-related arrests and reported 18 K-9 utilization instances.
No additional hires are necessary to staff the two-person team.
Staffing and recognition
Despite three officers leaving in 2025, MPPD ended the year fully staffed, hiring four new officers. Two of those hires finished their field training this month.
Botsch also highlighted the department’s community engagement efforts and events, such as the Lakeside COP (Community Oriented Policing) House. The Chicago Police Department visited MPPD’s COP House last year to learn more about their community engagement practices.
“We really engage well with the community and a lot of other agencies are trying to model that, and not just have a house in a neighborhood, but model the engagement, the ability to get out there, the ability to interact, the ability to build relationships," Botsch said.
MPPD also gained re-accreditation from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group through 2028 after an assessment in October. Botsch estimated that about 10% of agencies in Wisconsin have this accreditation.
SSFD calls also up
South Shore Fire Chief Dustin Ellis said the fire department responded to 6,378 incidents last year, with EMS calls accounting for 78% of those.
The call volume is down slightly from 2024, but up overall from 2021 by more than 1,000 calls, according to the department.
Department expenditures in 2025 were about $11.26 million, with a 2026 adopted budget of $12.12 million. The main costs were staffing, overtime, healthcare and equipment.
SSFD will have 64 of its 69 positions filled after the May 29 Racine County Joint Fire Training Academy, according to the department.
Ellis said SSFD’s priorities for 2026 include facility planning, automatic aid expansion, workforce development, policy improvements and the implementation of a strategic plan.
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Is driving with hemp or THC legal in Wisconsin? OWI rules to know
Gina Lee Castro
Hemp and its many intoxicating products have been legal in Wisconsin for eight years. But driving around with hemp products could still put you in hot water with the law, said Milwaukee attorney Andrew Mishlove.
Hemp looks and smells identical to marijuana, and both come from the Cannabis sativa L plant. But hemp is legal – for now – and marijuana is not.
When hemp users drive with these products in their cars, a police traffic stop can spiral into citations or even jail time, said Mishlove, who specializes in defending people charged with operating while intoxicated.
“It’s a mess,” he said. “Hemp is legal. Wisconsin law hasn’t caught up with that reality at all.”
Here's what we learned about why hemp can still put Wisconsin drivers at risk of an OWI.
Is it legal to drive with hemp in my car in Wisconsin?
Yes, but it’s a risk, Mishlove said.
If police officers catch a whiff of weed from a car or see it in the car, they can easily gain probable cause to make an arrest for possession of a controlled substance or begin an investigation into operating while intoxicated, Mishlove said.
Overall, state law doesn't say much about driving with hemp. Wisconsin doesn’t have an open container law for hemp the way it does for alcohol, Mishlove said. Nor is there a limit on how much hemp an individual can possess, or any laws on how drivers can lawfully transport hemp.
In contrast, in Illinois, where cannabis is legal, the product must be sealed in a child proof container and inaccessible to the driver.
Is it illegal to drive with hemp in my system in Wisconsin?
Yes. Wisconsin law does not allow drivers to have any THC in their blood. Any amount above one nanogram per milliliter is considered evidence of operating while intoxicated.
Although hemp is restricted to trace amounts of THC - the component in cannabis that makes users feel high - some products contain THC in amounts comparable to states where marijuana is legal.
In fact, a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found that many hemp products in Wisconsin contain THC above the federal legal limit, with consumers none the wiser. Some gummies and drinks below the federal legal limit still packed over 10 milligrams of THC per serving.
In addition, some hemp products contain a compound known as delta‑8 THC that is so similar to traditional THC that it appears chemically indistinguishable in blood testing, Mishlove said.
The THC blood test has been criticized by some scientists and lawmakers who say the limits are arbitrary and do not necessarily constitute impaired driving.
How does law enforcement determine impairment?
The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene conducts blood testing for law enforcement agencies across the state. Kayla Neuman, director of forensic toxicology, said the test cannot determine whether a person is impaired, nor can it show when THC was last consumed. The test only confirms that THC is present in a person’s system.
Neuman said observations from officers and results from roadside impairment tests contribute to evidence of impairment.
Chronic, daily THC users are more likely to have detectable levels of THC in their blood at all times and can exceed the one‑nanogram legal threshold, Neuman said.
But due to Wisconsin's zero-tolerance policy, people can be charged with an OWI even if they are sober, Mishlove said.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are impaired or high on this stuff or not,” he said. “You can’t have it in your system and drive.”
What are the laws in other states around THC and driving?
The Michigan Impaired Driving Safety Commission has said there is no scientifically supported threshold of THC in the body that proves impairment. As a result, Michigan doesn’t have a legal limit for THC. Instead, a series of roadside sobriety tests must prove the driver is impaired.
In some states where marijuana is legal, like Illinois and Colorado, the limit is five nanograms of THC, to account for chronic users.
How can hemp users in Wisconsin steer clear of legal trouble?
If you're a hemp user and plan to drive, try to keep documentation on you.
For example, Milwaukee Police Lt. Matthew Kaltenbrun said showing officers a certificate of analysis – a third-party lab test of the specific hemp product – is good evidence that the product in question is hemp, not marijuana.
Mishlove added that keeping the product's original packaging and receipt of purchase can prove the product was bought legally in Wisconsin.
As for how frequent users can prove they aren't currently impaired by THC, that's a tricky one.
"I advise people to not break the law," Mishlove said. "The law says don't drive with a restricted substance in your system. Don't use those products and drive in Wisconsin."
Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at gcastro@usatodayco.com.
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