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Wisconsin Community Services outlines pretrial supervision for OWI defendants, requests continued county funding
Summary
Representatives from Wisconsin Community Services described a long-running pretrial supervision program for people charged with operating while intoxicated, gave compliance and caseload statistics, and requested continued county contract support amid state funding changes.
Sarah Kruckner, regional director with Wisconsin Community Services (WCS), told the committee WCS has operated an OWI-focused pretrial supervision program in Kenosha County since 1997 and that the organization provides “safe supervision” and case-management services for people released while OWI charges are pending.
Kruckner said WCS’s services include assessments, routine check-ins, drug and alcohol testing, secure continuous remote alcohol monitoring for some participants, court-reporting on compliance, referrals to treatment and community resources, and support for participants seeking to reinstate driving privileges. She said the program follows national pretrial standards and aims to reduce failures to appear and recidivism.
Kruckner provided 2024 and 2025-to-date program statistics: in 2024 WCS supervised 325 people and discharged 72 who were enrolled in treatment; 88 percent of monitored participants had no recorded drinking events while on monitoring; 97.3 percent of clients appeared for every court appearance; the 2024 average monthly caseload was 161. For 2025 through July she said WCS had served 263 individuals year to date, 68 of whom had been discharged enrolled in treatment, and an average monthly caseload of 170.
Kruckner said participants pay a portion of the cost and that through August the program collected $15,370 in participant fees and expects to collect about $23,054 for the year. She said county contract funding remains essential for the program’s sustainability.
Matt Realy, WCS staff, and Chad Kirkman, deputy chief judge, both spoke in support of the program’s role in community safety and court monitoring. Kirkman said courts “feel more safe” knowing WCS reports violations to judges and that he believes the program reduces repeat severe OWI cases compared with other counties.
Committee members discussed funding and contracts. One speaker referenced a historical state funding stream through the Department of Transportation that was discontinued and the need for counties to plan for sustainability. Committee members and WCS staff said the county contract amount was discussed in multiple ways during the meeting: one speaker referenced $151,000 and later Kruckner said the county’s current funding level is $134,467; WCS also noted program fees and other revenue sources used to support operations. WCS said it had requested additional county funding to address inflationary pressure on staffing and benefits.
Ending: Committee members asked about the geographic scope of clients (WCS serves Kenosha County residents, including those from the city and villages) and WCS said it also operates similar programs in other southeastern Wisconsin counties.
