 Gallatin County DUI Task ForceMinutes
October 20th 2004
2nd Floor Conference Room, Al Stiff Professional Building
5:30 to 6:15 PM
Members:
Susan Wordal, City Attorney’s Office
Amos Ridenour, MSU PD
Jami Rebsom, County Attorney’s Office
Katie Donath, Citizen Member
EJ Clark, Belgrade PD
Mark Daugherty, Citizen Member
Guests:
Jenifer Williamson, President, MADD
Dana Morgan, MADD
September Minutes Approved: Mark moved. Susan seconded.
Introduce Katie Donath – new citizen member
New Business:
Performance Management Training. Jenna read the goals, objectives, and activities she developed, asking for suggestions regarding these. Susan requested Jenna email a draft to Task Force members before submitting these to the county, and that she include a goal about citizen participation/membership.
Legislative discussion
Jenifer Williamson, President of MADD, presented a hand out – said it will be on their website. They are working on several bills and looking for sponsors.
Susan concerned about deferred sentences – mandatory sentences – statute says no deferred sentences – wonders where that came from.
Also made comments on concerns about restrictions in plea bargaining – asked Jenifer for clarifications from Bill Muhs.
Susan said people would rather have a conviction for negligent endangerment than a DUI. Driver’s license and insurance are not effected – Title 45 offense but still feels better than a DUI.
Susan commented that a HGN is a tool that currently can’t be used at trial. We need to get that in. It has to be done uniformly and the rules about how you become an expert in it need to be modified.
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Refusals: Susan wondered if the process being used by Judge Salvagni could be formalized. He works from the premise that the statute says if the person under arrest has refused one or more tests – “under arrest” modified the word person, and reflected on the person – so can only be used when the refusal comes after arrest – if they refuse a PBT and take an intoxilizer – can’t get in the refusal – take the “under arrests” out – if you strike that it would work.
Lt. EJ Clark says they are seeing a lot of 4th offense DUI’s in Belgrade
Susan suggested that the statute on drawing blood needs to have removed a “licensed medical professional” draws the blood vs. the blood draw needing to be under a Dr’s supervision.
Report from MADD – Jenifer shared some of the projects in process for MADD. She says the VIP panels taking a lot of time from their volunteers. Ninety eight percent of the feedback from attendees is that the panels are very effective. Teresa at Community Corrections signs everyone up for the panels and MADD organizes the panelists. They are working with some other entities to do an exclusive MIP panel.
Report on Activities
MSU Midnight Mania – Amos showed goggles to at least 60 students, and kept showing them until 12:30 PM. Some people took it seriously, some as a joke. There were a lot of high school kids there and it made more of an impression on them than the college students.
Jenna thought there were more than 60 students who tried out the goggles – she had three volunteers to help track the goggles including: Mary Ellen Fitzgerald, County Superintendent of Schools; Stacy Wessen from Safe Kids, Safe Communities; from the Detention Center; and a representative from Cat Cab. DUI Task Force distributed 500 key chains at this
EJ said if someone wearing the goggles looks down and to the left, they can “ace” it.
Justice Council – Restorative Justice takes offenders and shows them how their crime effected the community – invite Teresa to the next meeting.
Belgrade – Jenna asked EJ for any ideas on how to present Belgrade DUI numbers so they have statistical impact. She’s asked Judge Snowberger the same question. Belgrade News will run them if we can figure out a format.
NAACD Conference in West Yellowstone – good presentation
SKSC
April/May DUI stats
Parent Party Patrol
Finances
First quarter of fiscal 2005
Overtime patrol request, MSU PD – told Amos I can email out a proposal – need projected hours, cost of those etc.
PBT’s request, MHP
Masquerade Ball
Purchased copies of the Belgrade DUI chase video
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