Coleen's Objectives

Goal #1
As the County Attorney with the duty to effectively manage a public office, I would hire a deputy county attorney to assist with the criminal and civil caseload. A lone attorney cannot effectively handle the criminal and civil caseload of a county with a growing population the size of Sanders County unless he or she either plea bargains the majority of the cases or simply refuses to file the cases. I believe the new state-wide Public Defender Program will increase the workload of the Sanders County Attorney Office as well as the other County Attorney offices throughout the state through a coordinated public defender system that will increase pretrial motion practice as well as trial and hearing work for county attorneys. Funding for a deputy county attorney has been budgeted by the Sanders County Board of Commissioners for the past year.

Goal #2
The County Attorney is mandated by law to inform victims of the status of their case as it proceeds through the criminal justice system and to afford victims the opportunity for input at sentencing hearings. I would strive to fulfill this duty by utilizing the existing funds already being collected through mandated surcharges and obtaining additional funding, either from the Board of Crime Control or through federal grants, for a Victim/Witness Assistant to work directly for the County Attorney to provide these vital services to all victims and witnesses of crimes.

Goal #3
It has been my experience that a forensic medical examination and videotaped forensic interview of child abuse victims is necessary to successfully prosecute child sexual predators. I will work cooperatively with the DPHHS, Child and Family Services Division, the Sanders County Coalition for Families, and medical providers within Sanders County to establish a child forensic evaluation center to evaluate child abuse victims in Sanders County rather than transporting children to other counties for examination and evaluation.

Goal #4:
I will advocate for a misdemeanor probation program to aggressively supervise first and second-time offenders of violent crimes to assure greater compliance with the terms of probation, especially mandated assessments and counseling for anger management, weapons restrictions, drug and alcohol use restrictions, and drug abuse counseling. Nationwide, those jurisdictions utilizing probation officers to supervise first and second-time misdemeanor violent offenders have significantly reduced their homicide rates.

Goal #5:
I will work with the District Court to establish video conferencing capability within the Sanders County courthouse to link to the State Hospital at Warm Springs and the Juvenile Detention Facility in Polson. The video conferencing capability would permit, when appropriate, juvenile detention proceedings, involuntary commitment proceedings and trial testimony by expert witnesses from remote locations.

Goal #6:
I will work with the Northwest Regional Drug Task Force to arrest, prosecute and sentence drug offenders under federal law whenever possible because the sentences imposed under the federal sentencing guidelines are more stringent than under state law.

Goal #7:
The National District Attorney’s Association in its Prosecution Standards recognizes the duty of district attorneys and county attorneys to train law enforcement. I will assure that the attorneys and law enforcement officers in Sanders County jointly attend training in search and seizure, child and elder abuse investigation, domestic violence investigation, violent crimes investigation, white-collar crime investigation and the manufacture and distribution of dangerous drugs. I would also seek law enforcement officer’s input in the plea negotiation process.

Goal #8:
I will work with law enforcement to establish a major case response team within law enforcement to respond to major criminal incidents in Sanders County. Individual law enforcement officers on the team would receive advanced specialized training in specific aspects of crime scene investigation.
Goal #9: I will work with the District Court judges and DPHHS caseworkers to establish a Family Treatment Court in Sanders County for alcohol and methamphetamine addicted parents of young children.

Goal #10:
I will continue my practice of dealing professionally and courteously with the public, victims, court personnel, law enforcement, elected officials, and defense counsel.