DODGE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) – The Dodge County Sherif’s Office says it has a new plan to prevent deadly car crashes.

Sheriff Dale Schmidt says deputies have responded to 18 deadly crashes so far this year, up from ten in all of 2016.

Schmidt says part of his strategy to save lives and stop reckless driving crashes is to hide deputies in plain sight.

Over the next crest of a hill or around the next curve, a squad could be sitting there.

"While you may have been able to travel past a squad car at 10 miles over the speed limit in the past, those days are gone. Our deputies will be stopping people at lower speeds,” says Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt.

Schmidt says funding for the initiative will come from a combination of the department’s budget and state grants.