Bellingham's DUI cases keep stacking up. Time to launch a dedicated court?
Bellingham Municipal Court has seen an influx in cases across the board in recent years. There was a 33% increase in cases filed from 2023 to 2024, according to the State of the Court address presented to the City Council.
One contributor to this rise in caseloads is the center of a new initiative underway: adding a dedicated DUI court.
Bellingham Municipal Court saw 392 DUI-related charges in 2024. Of those, 35% had multiple charges in Washington.
The court has already had 146 citations related to driving while intoxicated between January and April this year — equal to at least one every day, according to Bellingham Municipal Court Director Tami Bennett.
Bennett explained that the proposed DUI court would be a therapeutic court aimed at providing individuals with 'targeted treatment plans' and increased supervision. She said this would ideally reduce the risk of future impaired driving and improve public safety.
Washington has 131 treatment courts across the state, according to the most recent data available from the National Treatment Court Resource Center. Eight of these courts are specifically focused on DUIs.
Bellingham Municipal Court's endeavor to create a DUI court is still in its 'infancy stages,' Bennett said, and the court is mostly focusing on research and planning.
'Building a strong foundation of information and strategic planning will allow us to create a sustainable program once it is ready to be established,' Bennett said.
One resource that the court is utilizing is the DWI Courts Guiding Principles from All Rise, previously called the National Center for DWI Courts. The guiding principles provide insight on best practices ranging from clinical assessments to case management to community partnerships.
Jim Eberspacher, director of the organization's Impaired Driving Solutions division, said DUI courts are based on the fact that repeat offenders often have underlying substance use or mental health issues. If these problems are treated, the risk of future DUI citations typically decreases.
'If we don't treat the symptoms of their behavior, we can't really ever expect them to change that behavior,' Eberspacher said.
Eberspacher said DUI courts use a 'wraparound approach' to both hold people accountable and give them the treatment that they need. These courts are not geared toward first-time offenders, and can actually increase the likelihood of future DUIs among individuals who would otherwise self-correct.
He highlighted the importance of knowing the population that the DUI court will target. It's important to look at data and determine the needs and resources of the community before actually implementing the new court, Eberspacher said.
All Rise often works with judicial systems seeking to add DUI courts to train them and help them plan their program. All of their recommendations are research-based.
'We're always excited to see a jurisdiction begin to look at the idea of implementing a DUI court,' Eberspacher said.
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