The Madison Police Department will be partnering with the Wisconsin State Patrol to enhance and bolster traffic law enforcement Friday in anticipation of city Halloween festivities.

The state patrol will be assigning approximately 40 officers on East Washington Avenue and University Avenue, according to patrolman Lt. Brad Altman. The officers are being assigned to areas that flow into downtown Madison to assist with the heavy traffic generally associated with Freakfest as well as the Badger home football and hockey games.

“What we want to do is we want to help facilitate the safe and even flow of traffic,” Altman said. “We want to gain voluntary compliance with the drivers and make sure that they are abiding by the traffic laws.”

Both Altman and MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain used the term “voluntary compliance” to describe the atmosphere and attitude they are hoping the extra patrols will create.

DeSpain characterized Freakfest as “something that the city can be proud of.” He and Altman agreed that keeping the roads moving cleanly is a vital part of keeping the event safe.

“People violating traffic laws can be a problem,” Altman said.

DeSpain said partnering with the state patrol is something meant to get people to slow down and obey traffic laws. According to Altman and DeSpain, MPD has partnered with the state patrol successfully in the past.

“We’ve done this a lot in this area and in other areas throughout the state,” Altman said.

Altman stressed the goal of the state patrol was not to write citations, but to ensure the safety of Madison residents and of people traveling to Madison for events. However, the patrols are ready to enforce the law as strictly as any regularly assigned patrol would.

“We realize that driving is a responsibility,” Altman said. “If people fail to accept this responsibility we will be fully prepared to take the appropriate enforcement actions.”

DeSpain echoed Altman’s assertion that the officers will not be looking to write more tickets, but rather to keep traffic moving efficiently and safely.

“These efforts aren’t meant to increase citations,” DeSpain said. “[The goal is] mainly just to try and get some compliance out on the roads.”

According to Altman, this is a common practice for Madison.

“We hope that the increased patrol will motivate people to wear their seatbelts, to obey speed limits, to eliminate distractions in the car … and of course we want them to drive sober,” Altman said.