Criminal Justice Summit: Putting the Brakes on DUI Offenders

A local summit next week will give the public a look into our state’s criminal justice system as it relates to enforcing Driving Under the Influence (DUI) laws. 

The will explore the judicial process surrounding DUI convictions, current laws and pending legislation that may result in tougher DUI penalties and sentencing. Sessions will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 28 to March 2) at the . 

According to the , its officers arrested 323 people for DUI or Physical Control between Jan. 1, 2006 and Jan. 1, 2011. In the 2010 Council Report, Police Chief Mike Davis noted that the department arrested 68 drivers for DUI in 2010, which was an increase by 19, compared to 49 arrests made in 2009.

Gig Harbor Mayor Chuck Hunter will welcome guests to the event, hosted by the Criminal Justice Summit Planning Committee and the . 

Michael Dunn, judge, and Paul Nelson, court administrator, have organized the summits since 2000. 

Dunn explained that at the summit, the public can learn how state law is enforced and how the process works. “There’s more to it than going to court and finding a person guilty or not guilty,” he said. 

With the first DUI offense, the criminal justice system’s role is to punish the offender but also to educate them, “So they don’t do it again,” explained Dunn. “If they do, it (the punishment) gets severe. In a lower court, you’re trying to do things to correct behavior — not to send people off to jail, but we do have mandatory minimum requirements, such a mandatory jail sentence of one to two days for the first offense,” said Dunn. 

But even the first offense can have severe penalties as consequences, he said. “The maximum could still be up to one year if they have aggravating factors, like having a passenger, having kids in the car, causing an accident. And if you have prior offenses, it gets pretty tough.” 

Best-selling crime writer Ann Rule and "Washington’s Most Wanted" correspondent Parella Lewis are featured speakers, but many others comprising a who’s who of Washington law enforcement and criminal justice will participate as speakers and panelists. They include: 

• Rob McKenna, Washington State Attorney General
• John Batiste, Chief, Washington State Patrol
• Charles Johnson, Associate Chief Justice, Washington State Supreme Court
• Mark Lindquist, Pierce County Prosecutor
• Judge Frank Dacca, Pierce County District Court Judge
• Russell Hauge, Kitsap County Prosecutor
• James Docter, Bremerton Municipal Court Judge
• Fiona Cooper, Washington State Toxicologist 

Conference sessions will include:

• DUI Processing Demonstration
• Driving Restraints, Bail Issues and Release Conditions
• DUI Victims
• Impaired Driving
• Safer Highways and Communities
• Alcohol/Drug Treatment & Probation
• Ethics 

Rule will be at the.

Gig Harbor resident Bob Mortimer, a victim of a DUI accident, will speak just before a DUI victim candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening. 

Past conferences have attracted upward of 175 people, according to Dunn.

“Every court, every judge is dedicated to enforce the law and follow the law, protect rights of public," he said. "We’re not the only ones in the state to put on seminars like this, but we’re more proactive than most." 

The conference is $175 for all three days, but people can attend on Feb. 28 and March 1 for $55 for each day, or March 2 for $30. The March 1 dinner with keynote speaker Batiste is $35.

Qualified attendees can receive up to 12.5 Continuing Legal Education credits (CLEs) for attending. 

For more information about the criminal justice summit, reach Nelson at 253-853-7639 or 360-471-1286.