Hanney asks the driver if he's been drinking, and he says that he had one drink at his friend's house. I ask Hanney if that's the standard answer. "The drunk ones always say they've had two beers," he says.

The driver doesn't appear impaired, so Hanney takes his license back to the cruiser to see if he has any prior offensives. The process takes mere seconds, and the driver has a spotless record. It turns out that the driver was warming up the car and forgot to turn on his lights. That happens a lot in this weather, Hanney says. He sends the Ranger on its way.

11:59 p.m. -- We park the cruiser on a side street facing Water Street, just north of The Social and Alterra. Hanney, who works a lot of traffic stops, can tell if a car is speeding without using equipment. Still, he says he can get out the laser gun if we don't see anything suspicious. Tonight, the only cars going too fast are the taxis, and there are a lot of them. "I'm just looking for anything silly," says Hanney.

12:05 a.m. -- Hanney gets a call to help out with the suspect in the white Tercel. While every officer can run a field sobriety test, only certain officers are trained to operate the "Intoximeter," which requires certification from the Department of Transportation. We head back to District Two headquarters on Lincoln Avenue.

12:18 a.m. -- In the garage at District Two, the suspect, Edward, is sitting at a table with the officer who began the chase earlier this evening. Hanney begins the interview part of performing an official blood alcohol content test, and Edward isn't very cooperative.

"I'm a felon," says Edward, a 57-year-old white male, missing teeth and sporting some blood and scratches on his face that didn't come from this arrest. "You do your job, I'll do mine."

Edward is sitting quietly and calmly, looking almost annoyed at the interview. He's clearly drunk, but not stumbling drunk. When Hanney informs him he will now run the breathalyzer test, Edward refuses, which is basically an admission of guilt.

Now Edward becomes almost jolly. "I'm nice," he mumbles to no one in particular. "Most of us drunks act nice."

Hanney asks him one more time if he will consent to the test. Again, Edward says "no," and begins laughing. He sees me taking notes and asks if this is his 15 minutes of fame.

He says he doesn't know his address, though his car has Illinois plates. He doesn't have a valid drivers license in Wisconsin or Illinois, and again Edward won't cooperate. The officers already know he's on probation, and he's fled before.

"I'm still going to jail," Edward says as he's led off to a holding cell while the cops begin the paperwork.

12:35 a.m. -- The three officers seated at the table in the garage freeze in mid-sentence when the call comes over the radio that a hip-hop party at an airport hotel has gotten out of hand. One of the officers literally drops a cookie in mid-bite, and they grab their guns from the lockers. In seconds, they squeal out of the garage. Hanney, whose night is getting more convoluted by the minute, looks at me and says, "Let's go."

With or without the Alcohol Enforcement Grant, serious incidents take precedent, and Hanney explains that we'll go to the scene to provide traffic support.

"Fight in progress," reads Hanney's computer, and we're underway. Hanney turns on his siren and rolls up his window. It's loud, even with the windows closed. Cars pull over like the parting of the Red Sea as we hop on the freeway to get the Best Western at 5105 S. Howell Ave.

Hanney drives fast, but not excessively so. He's going about 70, and I ask why we're not burying the needle on this Crown Vic on steroids.

"The difference between 70 and 100 miles an hour is maybe 30 seconds," he says calmly, implying that the time saved isn't worth the risk to either of us. Hanney is married and doesn't take unnecessary chances. He always wears a bulletproof vest, which is optional at MPD. He says his wife isn't too worried about his profession, except when she learns of the occasional reports of an on-duty tragedy.

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3 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by MILWIRISH on Feb. 19, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. (report)

let the cabbies do thier jobs......it is long hard work.......and time is money........why did you leave out the tavern league saferide program?? bars and drinkers should all call for safe streets

Posted by brunocarlson on Feb. 19, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. (report)

I agree with the cabs. Way to reckless. This article was very good and informative. I am glad to know that they have implemented a division that rewards the officers with overtime and gets rid of the idiots.

Posted by upofan on Feb. 19, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (report)

Cops need to start nabbing the taxi drivers now...worst ones on the road. No signals...rolling stops...speeders.