Fond du Lac County Participates In Criminal Interdiction Effort

Fond du Lac County was home to one of the largest highway drug and criminal interdiction efforts ever initiated in Wisconsin.

In a press release issued Thursday, Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said multiple law enforcement agencies in Fond du Lac County partnered with state agencies on June 22 and 23, 2021.

Agencies involved in this interdiction, working in coordination with the Wisconsin State Patrol and Wisconsin National Guard Counterdrug Program, included:

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office
Fond du Lac Police Department
Waupun Police Department
Ripon Police Department
Town of Ripon Police Department
Rosendale Police Department
Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group

The collaborative effort involved 21 sheriff’s deputies working in conjunction with 14 troopers and 17 officers from other agencies within the county. Additional support for the operation included 11 civilian
crime and data analysts, seven K9 teams from four different agencies, an observation aircraft and crew to monitor officer safety during traffic stops and track vehicles or suspects that may flee, and dispatchers from the Wisconsin State Patrol and Fond du Lac County Communications Center to support communications.

Officers were assigned to patrol different highway drug and crime corridors including I-41, USH 151, STH 23, and STH 26 to search for and legally stop vehicles for traffic or other violations, with a specific focus on monitoring for indicators of drug possession, trafficking, or other criminal
activity. The initiative resulted in the following statistics:

 331 traffic stops
 157 citations
 239 warnings
 55 speeding citations
 19 operating after suspension/revocation citations
 7 drug-related ordinance citations
 1 warrant
 21 felony arrests for violations including illegal possession of a Schedule I and Schedule II drugs, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a prescription medication without a valid prescription,
possession with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana – repeat offender, possession of an electronic weapon, and bail jumping
 23 misdemeanor arrests for violations including possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and bail jumping.

The Sheriff’s Office, along with state and municipal law enforcement agencies across our county, remain committed to working together to combat illegal drug trafficking and other oftentimes “mobile” crimes.

Waldschmidt went on to say “We will continue collaborating with other local, regional, state, and federal agencies to take and keep drugs off
our streets, as these crimes not only destroy lives and families, but also oftentimes involve illegal firearms/weapons possession and trade, human trafficking, money laundering, and other violent crimes. An interdiction task force like this is just one of the many tactics we use to combat these illegal activities.”

Information and evidence obtained from those arrested in this operation is currently being used by drug task force investigators to pursue new leads and suspects involved in the criminal drug trade and other criminal enterprises.