Montana has 36 approved county-level DUI Task Forces serving 39 counties. Officials say effective DUI task forces are an important mechanism for decreasing the state's alcohol-related injury and fatality rates.

“It remains an ongoing effort because Montana is still towards the top of the states with alcohol, or impaired, issues on roads and in homes. There’s not an easy solution,” said Ernie Ornelas at the Mineral County DUI Task Force meeting last Tuesday. 

It was the last meeting that Ornelas would oversee as the Task Force Coordinator, but he’ll remain on the citizens advisory board with other community members. 

“It was right after I retired (as Mineral County Sherriff) that I took this position,” he shared.

“Our focus now has changed somewhat in that here in Mineral County specifically, we are targeting the kids. The younger kids, because of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) showing the kids getting into alcohol at a much younger age than we did before,” Ornelas explained. 

The survey is conducted every two years and Barb Jasper, with the Mineral County Health Department, who was in the meeting, said it is starting again right now in all schools. It’s anonymous and Ornelas has utilized that information in the annual plan. 

He said that is why so much of the budget is aimed at Red Ribbon Week each year, bringing speakers into classrooms and why so much is spent on the high school senior scholarships with challenging questions on what the applicants will do to avoid alcohol related events after they graduate until they have reached 21 years of age. 

 “It’s an ongoing process what we are doing just like having Stephanie (Quick) doing the RASS Training (Responsible Alcohol Services and Sales), even though Steve Schmidt from the Missoula DUI Task Force conducts them for us quarterly, and the Compliance Checks that I hope we get back on track.” 

Compliance Checks require a Mineral County Deputy and several people outside the county to serve as actors going into bars or stores that sell alcohol to see if the bartender or salesclerk requires ID for the purchase. Until Mineral County Sheriff Funke took the helm, the large turnover of deputies suspended the compliance checks.

Funke attends the DUI Task Force quarterly meetings and thanked Ornelas for what he has done not only as coordinator for the task force, but as sheriff, reserve deputy and court bailiff. 

“Ernie has been a resource the Sheriff's Office could always rely on, even after he served his term as our sheriff.” 

With the attending DUI Task Force members present, the repeated question of who will become the new coordinator was discussed. 

“I’ve put it out to my guys because I told the commissioners that I want all of them to have certification on whatever classes or training will help the county,” said Funke. "Plus, this position is community driven and another opportunity for community involvement. A couple (deputies) said they are interested so we’ll see where this goes."

Ornelas will help train his replacement and remain involved with community events, particularly those involved with Mineral County youth and law enforcement. The next meeting, which is open to the public, will be Jan. 16 at 4 p.m. in the County Commissioners Room.

 On related information, The Montana Department of Revenue's Alcoholic Beverage Control Division (ABCD) is a member of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) and has received an alcohol education grant from this organization. NABCA’s mission is to support member jurisdictions in their efforts to protect public health and safety and ensure responsible and efficient systems for beverage alcohol distribution and sales.

ABCD will award five, one-time, $2,000 scholarships to Montana students who come up with designs for billboards dedicated to the question: What does “Alcohol Responsibility Matters” mean to you and your community? Billboards in high-traffic areas across Montana will be used to promote the importance of responsible alcohol consumption. The billboards will have a consistent theme centered on Montana and the tagline “Alcohol Responsibility Matters" and the existing logo along with the student’s original design.

ABCD’s hope is to provide community-centered messages that remind individuals 21 and over of the importance of being responsible when consuming alcohol. This will support the overall theme of Alcohol Responsibility Matters for Alcohol Awareness Month in April.

For more detailed information and the scholarship form,  go to the ABCD’s webpage https://mtrevenue.gov/alcoholic-beverage-control/ and click on Learn More About Requirements and FAQs or contact the ABCD Outreach and Education Unit at dorabcd-o&e@mt.gov.