Milwaukee City Attorney touts higher conviction rate for reckless driving

The City of Milwaukee announced June 10 that police and the District Attorney’s Office achieved an 84% conviction rate actively litigated first-offense reckless driving charges in 2025, up from 15% in 2023.

Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke said the city’s coordinated reckless driving enforcement policies announced in October 2024 have drastically improved prosecution outcomes for first-offense reckless driving cases in Milwaukee Municipal Court.

In addition, the rate at which reckless driving charges were reduced or amended dropped from 65% in 2023 to zero in 2025.

Goyke said he made a commitment when he took office in April 2024 to make the City Attorney’s Office a more effective prosecutor of reckless driving.

“These numbers are the proof,” Goyke said in the news release. “We stopped plea bargaining reckless driving charges. We are taking cases to trial. We are achieving convictions, and now repeat reckless drivers in Milwaukee know that a second offense can mean criminal prosecution. That is a real consequence, and it is working.”

The city pointed to a decline in traffic fatalities, which fell from 74 in 2023 to 55 in 2025.

Before the new policy was put in place, 65% of actively litigated reckless driving cases in Milwaukee Municipal Court ended in a reduced or amended charge in 2023. Only 15% resulted in a conviction on the original reckless driving charge.

Repeat offenders faced limited consequences because penalty enhancements required prior convictions rather than citations. In 2023, the Wisconsin Legislature amended state statutes to create criminal penalties for second and subsequent reckless driving violations. These penalties include fines of up to $1,000 and up to one year in county jail.

In October 2024, the City Attorney’s Office formalized a coordinated enforcement agreement with the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Under the agreement, MPD issues citations for all provable reckless driving behavior, the City Attorney’s Office does not reduce or dismiss charges in provable cases, and the District Attorney’s Office takes on second and subsequent offenses as criminal matters under the amended statute.

The City Attorney’s Office also invested in training and worked with MPD officers on the evidentiary standards required to make reckless driving cases provable in court. According to Goyke, the approach ensures every reckless driving case receives enhanced review before prosecution.

Goyke said the progress would not be possible without the partnership of prosecutors, police officers and staff working in Milwaukee Municipal Court every day to hold those cited for reckless driving violations accountable.

“Reckless driving is a complex problem. Road design matters. Education matters. Community investment matters. But enforcement and prosecution are the piece of this puzzle that belongs to us, and we are committed to doing that piece at the highest level.”

Adrienne Davis is a south suburban reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.