Tipster hotline to report violators of Wisconsin’s three-week old smoking ban remains pretty quiet.
Wisconsin Health Department spokesperson Seth Boffeli says other states with smoking bans also use some sort of compliance hot line. “These compliance lines are an important tool,” he says, “Essentially it gives the public an avenue if, for instance, they’re at an establishment and don’t feel comfortable speaking up.”
Boffeli says the compliance line isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He says it can be helpful, both for the non-smoking public and for business owners. Boffeli says the tipster line is a tool in helping to enforce compliance, but it can also benefit business owners. “It just serves as a reminder to the business community that this is a real law, we intend on it being enforced.”
Boffeli says his department has not seen a lot of complaints about smoking violations since the ban took effect three weeks ago. (800)-NO-SMOKE.