Gov. Jay Nixon on Sunday called for revamping the state's DWI laws "to improve a system that's riddled with loopholes and dark corners."

He said he would begin assembling legislative leaders this week with the goal of making the changes by spring.

Other area officials joined in the governor's call for reform, as did the Gateway chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

They spoke in reaction to a story Sunday in the Post-Dispatch about a culture of cutting deals in St. Louis-area courts that lets most admitted drunken drivers escape a conviction for DWI or a related charge, including many who have been arrested before.

The system, Nixon said, "is allowing offenders to get driving privileges back and not to be held accountable for their actions."

State Rep. Walt Bivins, R-St. Louis County, said he was astounded at how DWIs are treated in the legal system.

"DWIs are just kind of written off and glossed over, and if there's legislation we could pass that would cut back on the glossing over, I would certainly be in favor of it," Bivins said. "If the governor has some good suggestions, I would certainly be willing to take a look."

Rep. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, a member of a House appropriations committee for public safety, said changes to the system are "absolutely critical."

Authorities need to be "less willing to plea bargain and more willing to say there are significant consequences when a car is used by someone who is driving drunk, because it is a very serious weapon," she said.

The story Sunday was the second in an occasional series investigating the treatment of DWIs in the St. Louis area. The newspaper reported that prior offenders are treated like first-timers, that plea deals are not revoked despite repeat arrests and that secrecy keeps DWIs out of public view. In September, the paper reported that persistent offenders often avoid felony charges.

Mike Boland, of MADD, said he was incensed by comments from judges in the newspaper's stories that suggested drunken drivers had suffered consequences when they weren't convicted of the crime they committed.

"People drive drunk because they can," he said. "There is no intent to do the right thing because you know you can get away with it. The story was very disheartening if you've been beating this path for 15 years."

Nixon said he did not have specific ideas about what new DWI laws would look like, but that he hoped the resulting system would be more transparent and consistent statewide.

Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for Mayor Francis Slay, said, one possible solution is to put all cases in state court, or put anyone who has a previous DWI arrest in state court, "where penalties are tougher and cases should be handled differently."

Rainford also suggested mandatory sentences for DWI, taking discretion away from judges and prosecutors.

State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, agreed. "I think they're not enforcing the laws like they should. There should be some conversation from the legislative standpoint about what we should do if the laws are not enforced. Do we allow the municipal courts to handle the cases?"

Elizabethe Holland of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.