When I took office, the County Attorney's Office was operating as a skeleton crew with only 15% of allocated attorneys and staff.

In my first year, I recruited, hired, and trained 26 new personnel covered by 99% of the already allocated budget. I worked with Montana’s esteemed community of law students to create a robust internship program. In addition to internal trainings, every attorney attended the MT County Attorney Conference, as well as the National Institute for Trial Advocacy school. New attorneys attended the DOJ’s Prosecutor Bootcamp. I am incredibly proud of my team as we continue to push through these growing pains to make the Gallatin County Attorney's Office a gold standard leader in public safety.

We saved taxpayers $30,621 by modernizing the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office from paper-based to electronic systems.

Secure, electronic case files for misdemeanor and felonies allows for e-filing with District and Justice Courts, and also allows us to receive e-discovery from Bozeman PD, the Sheriff's Office, MSUPD, and Belgrade PD. Most importantly, electronic integration with law enforcement expedites case processing, more quickly addresses victims needs, and ensures swifter justice.

Upon taking office, my team revamped data collection on county court cases in preparation for a public dashboard launch in 2025.

Robust data collection enables tracking how promptly cases are processed and victims contacted for services, as well as the number of declined cases and plea deals offered. This is a major departure from previous years, which are missing and lacking information. Better data can provide the public benefits including assessing the effectiveness of my office, analyzing the impact of public policy, and improving trust in state courts. It can also show how justice is spread among similar cases. This is essential in eliminating bias within our justice system.

A major goal in my first year was to reinvest in historically strained relationships between the County Attorney's Office and community partners.

In pursuit of renewed trust and consensus, I met with every criminal justice stakeholder in the County—from Victim Services, law enforcement agencies, and local prosecutors, to mental health professionals and county and local government representatives. I worked with the Bozeman City Attorney’s Office to form a new partnership where case collaboration is the norm and resources shared, rather than duplicated. I instituted weekly meetings with the Public Defender’s Office to efficiently resolve cases that warranted plea agreements. I collaborated with stakeholders to facilitate resolution for the creation of a city/county waste transfer station to benefit both city and county residents. I am working with MSUPD to reduce risk and keep our shared community safe. Together we are making Gallatin County a safer, more caring place to live, work, and go to school.

We collaborated with law enforcement, Victim Services, and HAVEN to implement the APRAIS model in cases of domestic violence.

Prior to my term, the County Attorney's Office neither required (nor provided) trauma informed training to attorneys interacting with survivors of domestic violence. This year, our office had the privilege of collaborating with law enforcement, our Victim Services team, and Haven MT to train for—and implement—the APRAIS model, a cutting-edge screening tool for domestic violence offenders at the time of arrest (and initial court appearances) to ensure victim safety, dignity, and respect. Women are the victims of violent domestic crimes nearly 75% of the time.

I take violence against women seriously.

Upon taking office, I discovered 500 unprosecuted felony cases dating back fifteen years.

As your Gallatin County Attorney and elected public servant, I believe in on-going transparency and accountability to the community. Within the first two months of my term, I discovered a horrifying 500 unprotected felony cases dating back 15 years. Of the 113 unprotected sexual assault cases included within these, 52 involved children. I held a press conference and formed an unprecedented Task Force which completed its case assessments in September: over 6 months I met with victims and filed felony charges in all cases not barred by the statute of limitations.

On behalf of my office, as well as the survivors and their families, I would like to sincerely thank all the dedicated public servants—law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, and other stakeholders—who came together in this herculean effort to review these sexual assault cases, connect with victims, and address this criminal justice crisis.

Previously, folks arrested due to a mental health crisis (such as a suicide attempt) would go to the emergency room, to jail, or would be handcuffed and transported to the State Hospital in Warm Springs. This short-sighted policy unnecessary stresses folks in crisis, their families, and the justice and medical systems.

Together with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, we developed a program to link people in crisis with established community treatment. Our 90-day Community Commitment program will connect folks with the HELP Center, Community Health Partners and the Bozeman Health Bridge Clinic for medication and behavioral health support. This short-sighted policy unnecessarily stresses folk in crisis, their families and the justice and medical systems. A case manager will support and track progress to ensure compliance and continuity of care.

Research shows that diverting low-risk offenders (first time felons with crimes not violent or sexual in nature) to community supervision, rather than jail, is highly effective in breaking vicious cycles of crime and re-offense. This makes our community safer.

Similar to a Drug Court, our office launched the PIVOT program in conjunction with Gallatin County Court Services to evaluate and identify underlying factors contributing to a defendant’s criminal behavior. Based on this ORAS assessment, a court services officer develops a plan for the defendant to address accountability, victim restoration, the defendant’s barriers to health, and connects the defendant to services offered in the community.  

Participants who meet criteria may be diverted to the program or offered a deferred prosecution agreement by the prosecutor. This agreement allows defendants to avoid prosecution and/or a conviction if they fulfill the conditions of the program, which includes supervision, treatment, and accountability measures.