Wisconsin is launching a program that tracks where people had their last drink before getting behind the wheel — and it could soon name Price County bars in police reports. The Place of Last Drink (POLD) program, unveiled at a June 4 Traffic Safety Commission meeting, asks officers to record the establishment where a driver had their final drink after any alcohol-related incident. Bar owners worry the data unfairly targets their businesses. Privacy advocates question whether the state should be building databases of where people drink.
The program arrives as Price County faces its own safety crisis: 3 traffic deaths per year on rural roads where 63% of serious crashes involve lane departures, a 7-week gap with no State Patrol presence starting June 13, and zero traffic safety grants received in 2024 despite above-average crash rates.
What Is the Place of Last Drink Program?
POLD is straightforward: when officers respond to an alcohol-related incident — a DUI stop, a crash, an assault , they ask the person where they had their last drink. That location gets recorded alongside the person’s BAC reading. Agencies set thresholds for follow-up, typically 4 or more POLD incidents at a single establishment within a specified period. When a bar or restaurant crosses the threshold, the agency sends a notification letter and may arrange an in-person meeting to discuss overservice prevention.
Wisconsin’s version is still in its infancy. Supported through the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Alcohol Policy Project, a new TraCS form for collecting POLD data was released with the 2025 Fall Pack. Pilot communities can sign up to log this data natively. On the Community Maps platform, a new layer now displays Wisconsin Department of Revenue alcohol license data , showing every liquor-licensed establishment in the county, with names like “Timbers Roadhouse” visible on the map.
Only pilot agencies can currently see POLD data in Wisconsin. But the program’s scope is designed to expand. The Wisconsin State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA) recommended POLD data collection in its 2021 report, calling it a useful tool enabling law enforcement to monitor overserving by local licensees and work collaboratively with businesses to remediate safety hazards.
Where POLD Has Already Been Deployed
Minnesota launched POLD in 2014 with three law enforcement agencies and a Level I Trauma Center. Today, 32 agencies across Minnesota participate, collecting data at the time of incident rather than months later in court. The University of Minnesota Alcohol Epidemiology Program has published extensive evaluation manuals detailing the efficacy of these programs, backed by an $832,821 CDC funding initiative.
In Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas), a “Place of Last Consumption” program launched in 2022 as part of the county’s traffic safety strategic plan, targeting the young adult male demographic that accounts for 27% of DUI drivers. The county found that 47% of deadly crashes involve DUI.
Wisconsin POLD Participants
| County / Agency | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Brown County (Tavern League) | 2018 study participant | Green Bay Press-Gazette, April 2018 |
| La Crosse County | Current WisDOT pilot (TSC slides) | WisDOT La Crosse TSC Q1 2026 slides [PDF] |
| Kewaunee County | Current WisDOT pilot (TSC slides) | WisDOT Kewaunee TSC Q1 2026 slides [PDF] |
| Dodge County | Current WisDOT pilot (Dodge County SO + Horicon PD) | Dodge County TSC minutes, Jan 2026 [PDF] |
Bar Owners Push Back
The pushback from bar and restaurant owners is real , and not without merit. Some establishment owners worry the data unfairly targets high-volume and late-night venues. A patron may consume the majority of their drinks elsewhere before having a final drink at a named bar, making it appear that bar is responsible when it was not. There are also concerns about stigmatization, as being named in POLD reports can create a public perception of overservice even without proof.
The Minnesota POLD guidelines specify that notification letters to establishments do not include the identity of the person reporting. The data is designed to identify patterns of overservice, not to build cases against individual establishments. But the distinction between “starting conversations” and “building a case” can feel thin when your business name appears in a law enforcement database.
Where Is the Tavern League?
Conspicuously absent from the POLD conversation: the Tavern League of Wisconsin. The organization that has spent decades protecting bars from third-party liability , its single biggest legislative victory is Wisconsin’s Dram Shop Liability Exemption, which shields bar owners from being sued when an intoxicated patron causes harm , has not issued any public statement about the program. Their website lists no position on POLD, and legislative updates make no mention of it.
That silence is itself notable. POLD creates exactly the kind of data that could erode the liability shield the Tavern League spent generations building. If law enforcement agencies begin documenting which establishments are repeatedly named as the “place of last drink” for impaired drivers, that data could eventually be used to argue that Wisconsin’s Dram Shop Exemption should be narrowed or repealed , as it has been in 44 other states.
The Brown County Tavern League was an early participant in a POLD pilot study in Green Bay back in 2018, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. But the state-level organization appears to have taken a different approach: staying quiet while the program expands quietly through WisDOT’s traffic safety infrastructure, one pilot county at a time.
No Public Data . Yet
If you want to look up which bars have been named in Wisconsin POLD reports, you can’t. None of that data is publicly available. Wisconsin’s POLD incident data lives inside Community Maps, the UW-Madison TOPS Lab platform that hosts the state’s crash mapping system , and access requires a law enforcement or Traffic Safety Commission login. Even among logged-in users, the POLD data layer is restricted to pilot communities only.
What is publicly visible on Community Maps is the Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s alcohol license data layer, which shows every liquor-licensed establishment in the state, labeled by name. The WisDOT pilot presentations show screenshots of this layer with bar names displayed directly on the map. The POLD incident data that would show which of those bars keeps showing up as the “last drink” location? That’s locked behind the pilot wall.
The program is still in its infancy in Wisconsin. The 2025 TraCS Fall Pack , the electronic crash report form that officers use to record POLD data , was just released. The three pilot counties (La Crosse, Kewaunee, Dodge) are still building their datasets. Price County is not yet a pilot community. No Wisconsin POLD incident data has been published, cited in any court filing, or used in any licensing action that we could find.
For Price County, where impaired driving accounts for 13% of fatalities and the local bar density is among the highest in the state, POLD data could eventually provide a clearer picture of whether local overservice is a contributing factor. It could also make local bars nervous about what that picture might show.
Price County’s Crash Problem: By the Numbers
The POLD debate plays out against a backdrop of real danger on Price County roads. Every year, an average of 38 fatal and injury crashes occur, killing 3 people and injuring 45. More than half . 57% , of drivers involved in these crashes are Price County residents, meaning locals are most often the ones at risk.
| Year | Fatal | Injury | Property Damage | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 | 32 | 155 | 190 |
| 2021 | 1 | 37 | 163 | 201 |
| 2022 | 2 | 40 | 158 | 200 |
| 2023 | 1 | 41 | 167 | 209 |
| 2024 | 4 | 26 | 130 | 160 |
The trend is concerning: while total crashes dropped from 209 in 2023 to 160 in 2024, fatalities quadrupled from 1 to 4. Fewer crashes, but deadlier ones.
Lane Departure: The #1 Killer on Rural Roads
Of all fatal and injury crashes in Price County, 63% involve a lane departure , a driver crossing the center line, edge line, or leaving the road entirely. That’s significantly higher than the statewide rate of 48%. The most common outcome: colliding with a ditch.
These crashes happen most often on county and state roads (24 of the 38 annual fatal/injury crashes). The peak time is 1–3 PM, with Saturday seeing the most crashes In general.
Speed and Impairment: Above State Averages
Speed is a contributing factor in 31% of Price County’s fatal and injury crashes, well above the statewide average of 20%. Speed-related crashes have been declining , from 39 in 2022 to 23 in 2024 , but remain the single largest behavioral factor.
Impaired driving accounts for 13% of local fatalities, lower than the statewide 30%. But that may reflect under-reporting more than sobriety . 74% of impaired drivers are male, and peak hours are 1–2 AM.
7-Week State Patrol Gap Raises Safety Concerns
At the June 4, 2026 Traffic Safety Commission meeting, officials confirmed that Trooper Janowski is transferring out of Price County effective June 13, with replacement Trooper Amos Balsus not arriving until August 9. That leaves a seven-week gap with no State Patrol presence in the county.
During this gap, the Price County Sheriff’s Office and Park Falls Police Department will handle enforcement. Notably, Phillips PD has opted out of WISTAR enforcement, meaning one of the county’s three law enforcement agencies is not participating in the coordinated traffic safety program.
Zero Fatalities So Far in 2026 . But 33 Crashes
Since March 5, 2026, Price County has recorded 33 crashes with zero fatalities and 7 injuries. Statewide, the picture is improving . 155 crashes with 163 deaths, down from 181 crashes and 195 deaths in the prior year.
ATV/UTV Crashes Surging Statewide
While Price County’s road crashes are the local concern, a statewide crisis is building in off-highway vehicles. UTV registrations have surged 52% since 2021 (from 134,718 to 205,477), and UTV crash fatalities have more than quintupled , from 5 in 2016 to 29 in 2025.
| Year | ATV Crashes | UTV Crashes | Total | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 176 | 31 | 204 | 22 |
| 2019 | 114 | 49 | 163 | 22 |
| 2021 | 186 | 106 | 292 | 47 |
| 2024 | 151 | 160 | 311 | 40 |
| 2025 | 138 | 162 | 300 | 41 |
The 2025 data tells the story: 93% of fatal ATV/UTV crash victims were not wearing a helmet, 72% of UTV fatalities involved no seatbelt, and 95% had no safety certification. Nearly half of fatal crashes happen on public roads , not trails Ripsaw Saloon in Prentice is right on the ATV trail — gas, food, and drinks.
ATV/UTV crash data is now available on Community Maps, giving local officials and residents new visibility into off-road crash patterns.
No Traffic Safety Grants for Price County in 2024
Despite above-average rates of speed-related and lane-departure crashes, Price County received no overtime traffic safety grants in 2024. The county’s three law enforcement agencies . Park Falls PD, Phillips PD, and Price County Sheriff’s Office , all participated in Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober campaigns, but no targeted enforcement grants were offered.
The WisDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) application deadline is August 15, 2026, offering 90% federal funding with only a 10% local match. This could fund guardrail installations, intersection improvements, and lane departure countermeasures on the county roads where 63% of serious crashes occur.
What Price County Residents Should Know
- Wisconsin is tracking “last drink” locations , a new POLD program asks officers to record where you drank before a DUI or alcohol-related incident.
- Your bar could be named in a police report . POLD data identifies establishments, not just individuals, when patterns of overservice emerge.
- July is the deadliest month for crashes . 14 fatal and injury crashes in the three-year average, with Saturday being the worst day.
- 1–3 PM is the peak crash window , not late at night as many assume.
- 57% of crash drivers are locals , this isn’t just a tourist problem.
- No State Patrol presence June 13 – August 9 , local agencies handling all enforcement.
- HSIP applications due August 15, 2026 . 90/10 federal match for infrastructure improvements.
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Community Maps Traffic Safety Profile for Price County (2022–2024)
- Wisconsin DNR, 2025 Recreational Vehicle Safety Education & Enforcement Report
- Price County Traffic Safety Commission meeting, June 4, 2026
- WI DNR Off-Highway Vehicle Fatal Accident Summaries 2025–2026
- University of Minnesota, Place of Last Drink (POLD) Manual (2022) [PDF]
- Wisconsin DHS, SCAODA Alcohol Prevention Recommendations (2021) [PDF]
- WisDOT POLD pilot: La Crosse County, Kewaunee County, Dodge County [PDFs]
- Clark County Office of Traffic Safety Strategic Plan (2022)
See also: our ATV trail guide for Price County, our guide to free camping in Wisconsin and what makes Price County communities special
See also: our guide to Price County public records
See also: our complete Price County dining guide
See also: our guide to every town in Price County
FAQ
- What is the Place of Last Drink (POLD) program? A statewide initiative where law enforcement records where a person had their last drink before an alcohol-related incident. The data identifies patterns of overservice at bars and restaurants. Minnesota has run POLD since 2014 with 32 agencies participating. Wisconsin launched its pilot in 2025.
- Does POLD target bars? POLD identifies patterns of overservice to start conversations with establishment owners about responsible serving, not to shut down businesses. Agencies set incident thresholds before follow-up occurs, and notification letters protect individual privacy. But bar owners argue the data can unfairly implicate their businesses.
- How many traffic fatalities does Price County have per year? Price County averages 3 traffic deaths per year (2022–2024 data), with 38 fatal and injury crashes annually.
- What is the most common type of crash in Price County? Lane departure crashes account for 63% of fatal and injury crashes , significantly higher than the 48% statewide average.
- Why is there no State Patrol in Price County this summer? Trooper Janowski is transferring out June 13, 2026, and replacement Trooper Amos Balsus doesn’t arrive until August 9 , creating a 7-week enforcement gap.
- Are ATV/UTV crashes increasing in Wisconsin? Yes. UTV registrations grew 52% since 2021, and UTV crash fatalities went from 5 in 2016 to 29 in 2025. Total ATV/UTV deaths reached 41 in 2025.
- What is the HSIP deadline? The Highway Safety Improvement Program application deadline is August 15, 2026, offering 90% federal funding with a 10% local match.