MILWAUKEE (AP) — It seems speedy drivers in Wisconsin caught a break while state troopers were monitoring union rallies at the Capitol.

Records analyzed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel show that while the protests were going on in Madison, state troopers wrote about half as many tickets and warnings for speeding and other violations when compared with the same three-week period last year.

State Patrol Maj. Darren Price says there were several reasons for the drop. But he says a key reason was that that 85 troopers were assigned to Capitol security each day. He says during one shift, 187 troopers were working there.

Records show troopers wrote 9,324 tickets and warnings in the three weeks starting Feb. 14, compared with 19,713 written during that same period in 2010.

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