Janesville Police Chief Dave Moore says the number of chronic drunk drivers in Rock County is staggering, with over 1,000 offenders that have four or more convictions. In Janesville alone, there are 391 people with more than four convictions for OWI.
Moore says a new website recently launched by the city may convince many violators to behave more responsibly. It features an interactive map that will list the mug shots, names, and addresses of those convicted of five or more OWI offenses.
Moore says violators currently live with a great deal of anonymity in the community, making it easier for them to go on drinking and driving without the public knowing the danger around them. He says the site will allow the public to know who these people are, and hopefully report them if they see a possible offense.
Moore says they had wanted to list those with a least four offenses, but the sheer number of violators fitting that criteria made it impractical at this time.
The effort is being called “Project Sober Streets” and Moore hopes it will convince others to avoid getting behind the wheel after drinking.