Wisconsin State Patrol is running aerial enforcement operations across three counties this weekend, targeting drivers who speed or commit other traffic violations on state roads.
The patrols — conducted from aircraft — allow troopers in the air to clock vehicles over measured highway segments and radio ahead to ground units, who then make the traffic stops. The State Patrol didn’t immediately identify which three counties are part of this weekend’s operation.
How aerial enforcement works
Aerial units typically mark quarter-mile or half-mile stretches of highway with painted markers visible from above. A trooper in the aircraft times vehicles across that distance and calculates speed. Ground troopers waiting nearby make the stop.
The tactic is used during periods of higher traffic volume — holiday weekends, summer travel stretches — when speeding tends to spike on rural highways and interstates alike.
The announcement came Friday, June 27, 2026, ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer travel weekend on Wisconsin roads.
The State Patrol hasn’t said how many aircraft or ground troopers are assigned to the operation, or when it wraps up.
