Home of: Joan Hart

POLSON — Polson city police and court clerk Joan Hart is a “Type Three” personality. Characterized as the “achievers” among us, type three personalities know what it takes to get something done, and they don’t mind putting in the effort to make it happen.

The driving force behind a grant proposal to bring a DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs) Court to Lake County, Hart took an official personality test last week in hot and humid Athens, Ga. while attending a four-day training funded by a grant from the Montana Department of Transportation. Seven city and county officials interested in starting a DUI Court made the trip as well.

The mission of a DUI Court, which keeps track of offenders for 18 months to two years, is to reduce the number of repeat DUI offenders by providing alternative community-based treatment. Currently, three counties in Montana have these courts in place: Missoula, Flathead and Ravalli counties.

Hart first heard of such a court last September while attending a meeting in Kalispell. At the time, she was mourning the death of her older brother, Ben, whose funeral she had attended that July.

Her brother was struck by a drunk driver when he was 23 years old and paralyzed for life. An avid fisherman, he lived into his 50s, but eventually died of complications from the accident. The driver of the vehicle, Hart said, never faced any real consequences for his crime.

“The DUI Court changes the way DUIs are handled,” she said. “We’re making them accountable for what they did instead of giving them fines and sending them away to drink and drive again.”

Officials take the time to discuss each defendant and work to find their clients’ solutions, giving them options above and beyond alcohol or drugs.

“We try to make that person much better than what they are in order to stop drunk driving,” Hart said. “Once we get it going, I think it will be good.”

While still waiting on the larger grant, which will fund the actual DUI Court to be approved, Hart said attending the training was a valuable experience for everyone involved.

The group sat in on a DUI court in progress and worked one-on-one with an instructor about the ins and outs of such an operation.

“It opened our eyes about what they’re trying to do,” she said.

It’s been a long road already for Hart, who combined efforts with other city employees to complete the grant applications.

She had to compile endless statistics and lay out the cost of bringing a DUI Court to Lake County, among other things. After meeting with city officials and community members about the idea, Hart decided it would be up to her to spear-head the effort, much of which has to be done after hours.

“It’s been a lot of work so far and a challenge at times,” she said. “But, I wouldn’t change this job for anything. We got the tools this week, now we have to come up with how to proceed with our own master plan.”