DUI Task Force honors those who bring drunken drivers to justice

The Cascade County DUI Task Force works to prevent alcohol-related traffic incidents through prevention and education efforts.

On Tuesday, members of the nonprofit honored at the Great Falls Pre-Release Center the men and women of law enforcement and the criminal justice system who arrest and prosecute drunken drivers.

The center’s treatment director, Alan Scanlon, praised the attending law enforcement officers for stopping impaired drivers.

“You could be saving a life,” he told them.

The award recipients included Great Falls Police Officer Kevin Supalla, who made 21 DUI arrests in 2015. Of those, 14 arrests were made during his three-month, night-shift rotation. DUI arrests are time consuming, requiring an officer to dedicate hours to one call and subsequent arrest.

Neil Anthon of the City Attorney’s Office is working to streamline the DUI investigation process through a proposed electronic method of obtaining blood search warrants, which require input from a prosecutor and a judge’s signature. Anthon successfully prosecuted 33 DUI cases in Municipal Court in the past year and negotiated 41 guilty plea deals in DUI cases.

Cascade County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Grove helped implement and oversees the 24/7 Alcohol Sobriety Program for those completing court-mandated alcohol monitoring. Grove is also the senior operator of the Intoxilyzer, the breath test machine used to investigate DUI cases.

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Arnold made 29 DUI arrests in 2015. Arnold also teaches DUI traffic stop scenarios at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. Arnold is a certified Drug Recognition Expert and applies that training to other cases involving impaired drivers.

Sgt. Justin Kirkpatrick is one of four traffic investigators serving Malmstrom Air Force Base. Kirkpatrick initiated DUI checkpoints on base and developed a state-approved field sobriety test training course for his fellow airmen.

Deputy County Attorney Amanda Lofink has handled approximately 135 misdemeanor DUI cases in Justice Court and 39 felony DUI cases in District Court, six misdemeanor DUIs tied to felony cases and two felony criminal child endangerment cases linked to a DUI case. Lofink’s “resourcefulness in bringing difficult DUI cases to trial” was noted at the ceremony.

Andrea Fisher is the crime and breaking news reporter for the Great Falls Tribune. Like Facebook.com/gftrib_andrea and follow @gftrib_andrea on Twitter.