Nixon tells DWI summit: “Lives are truly in the balance”
The governor has called a summit to discuss DWI
JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Jay Nixon’s DWI summit is underway.
The governor, moved by our investigative series that found widespread failures to punish drunken drivers, has assembled a team of 34 people to start fixing the problem.
The panel includes police chiefs, prosecutors and government officials from across the state.
In a 10-minute address to the panel, Nixon thanked panel members for their efforts to punish drunken drivers, but said the state must do better. Citing our series, he told the panel he expects a tougher DWI law by the end of next year’s legislative session.
“We must acknowledge that there are gaps in the law and close them, and make sure Missouri takes a comprehensive approach to a complex problem,” he said. “This won’t be easy, but lives are truly in the balance. Thinking about those lives should be our guiding principle.”
Here’s a list of the leaders that Nixon assembled:
Shelly Shiflett, program unit coordinator for the Office of State Courts Administrator
Gary Markenson, executive director, Missouri Municipal League
Steve Deets, SATOP program, Department of Mental Health
Tom Hodges, assistant division director, Board of Probation and Parole
Robert P. McCulloch, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney
Robert Sterner, Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney
Chief John Copeland, Town and Country Police Department
Jason Lamb, executive director, Missouri Office Prosecuting Services
Sheriff Jim Arnott, Greene County
Jeffrey Bushur, circuit judge, Jackson County
Robert Wilkins, circuit judge, Jefferson County
Laura Ellis, clerk, Belton municipal court
Terry McVey, attorney
Sheriff Dwayne Carey, Boone County
Bud Balke, court monitoring coordinator for MADD
Mike Boland, MADD
Ken Askren, Booneville
Kevin Kelly, municipal judge, Maryland Heights
Leanna Depue, director, Division of Highway Safety, MoDOT
Morley Swingle, prosecuting attorney, Cape Girardeau County
Dwight Scroggins, prosecuting attorney, Buchanan County, co-chair of the Impaired Driving Subcommittee
Chris Pieper, legislative liasion, Missouri Department of Revenue
Alana Barragan-Scott, director, DOR
Andrea Spillars, deputy director, Missouri Department of Public Safety
John Britt, director, director, Missouri Department of Public Safety
James Klahr, legislative liasion, Department of Public Safety
Todd Scott, chief of staff, Sen. Matt Bartle
Page Bellamy, chief counsel, public safety division, attorney general’s office
Capt. Brad Jones, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Capt. Gary Kindle, MSHP, Impaired Driving Subcommittee
Col. James Keathley, superintendent, MSHP
Chief Michael Seibert, Bolivar Police Department
Dale Findlay, executive director, Missouri Safety Council
Marsha Abbott, circuit clerk, Henry County
MADD is represented by 2 individuals.
MADD has gone far beyond advocating responsible alcohol consumption. At least on a national level, they have been hijacked by teetotalers.
I am support of the driving and drinking laws, but what grips me is how they can give a dwi when your setting in your driveway. I don’t care in the keys are in the ignition or not, they should take the keys, I agree, and make them come back the next day and get them back. It’s the same concept as taking the keys of a friend, Don’t you think?
Why not more members of the legislature? Don’t they get arrested for drunk driving regularly???
I concur with Flaco. The main mission of keeping drunk drivers off the road has come and gone and is now in the rear-view mirror of the law. When they moved the limit from .10 to .08 was the first step. No politician is going to step-up and say “we’ve lost sight of the real goal”, because the bible belt won’t vote for them again if they do. We’re arresting people for DUIs for driving lazy boy recliners, golf carts, and now even bicylces. Pretty soon if you fall and get hurt in your home they’re going to run a sobriety check on you. I don’t want to have one of my children killed or severely injured by an intoxicated driver any more than anyone else, but I don’t want to see us make criminals out of law-abiding citizens either. And oh, did I mention it’s a nice source of revenue for various municipalities and the lawyers get a nice take home pay too, and how many of our politicians started out as lawyers.
Nixon will have to step on the toes of his friends, the trial lawyers, to get this passed. These guys make good money representing DWI cases.
My partner and I used to notarize the DWI paperwork on mids for the MSHP as well as our own department and any other needing our assistance. This is a long time coming and lives will be saved as a result. The worst repeat habitual offender I had seen was 8 times in like a 3 year period. They should give shock time for the 1st offense and mandatory time for the 2nd. Each offense thereafter would have more mandated time added. One guy had disengaged his breathilyzer that controlled his ignition. Driving under the influence of drugs should be just as harsh also. Peoples lives are at stake. A cab or waking someone to get you is always cheaper than a life and so is a reality check when you are behind bars.
No change to the law is going to be worth beans in nothing is done to close the loopholes. Putting the lawyers out of business that accept a big chunk of change to plea the case down to some misdemeanor non-moving violation would be a great place to start. There should be no excuses, no leniency and definately no mercy should they get caught a second - or third, fourth, etc. - time.
One of the first things that should happen is even enforcement of the law. Leonard Little’s case is a classic example of the problem. His first incident kills another driver and he gets a slap on the wrist, his second was for speeding on Hwy 40 (as I recall) and above the legal limit. He got a SMALLER slap on the wrist. Why? Because no one died that night? How come he walked when others, with less legal aid options, go to jail? It is this uneven enforcement that must be addressed first. There must be a mandatory minimum for aggrevated DUI, DUI, second offense, and such. Third offense? Life in prison. Disease or not it is time to make a point that everyone is punished equally and at a point, severely.
Flaco, that’s really an ignorant statement, on more than one level. Feel the need to stand up for drunk drivers? Unfortunately, due to countless drunk driving tragedies there are many, many folks associated with MADD both here in Missouri and on the national level. Most organizations have one or two spokespersons. Whether someone with MADD drinks or not is irrelevant. They’ve got a tremendously legitimate concern and should be listened to.
Why isn’t there a campaign to PREVENT people from driving under the influence? Why, because if they wait till the person is driving and the potential exists for that person to harm themselves or others, then they can make an arrest (stats for elections) and income for their municipality.