March 26, 2022
Submitted by Dana Altieri
In 2010, Judge Altieri surprised Lee’s Summit by becoming the first female judge elected to the bench. Altieri was re-elected in 2014, and again in 2018. She is up for re-election on April 5, 2022, and would appreciate your vote.
A small glimpse into Judge Altieri’s hands-on approach is detailed below, but for a full list of her accolades, beliefs, and accomplishments, please visit her website at: www.JudgeDanaAltieri.com.
Altieri credits her accomplishments and her successes to her parents, David and Linda McFarland. Altieri’s dad was a truckdriver and her mother a hairdresser, both of whom taught her a hard work ethic. Altieri lost her dad in January 2019 to Alzheimer’s, and her mom later that year to cancer on Christmas Eve. Altieri maintains they are cheering her on just as much during this run for re-election, only from above.
Judge Altieri is a strong leader in our community. Altieri firmly believes that her commitment to this City doesn’t end at the courthouse doors. “I don’t just do my dockets and leave. I am committed, fair, and I care.” Altieri has never turned down any offer to speak or instruct at any local school or charitable organizations. You can see her hands-on approach detailed below.
When elected 12 years ago, Altieri said she would audit programming at the court. She kept her word. Altieri attended a day long Young Traffic Offender’s Program. The program is geared towards young drivers with bad or dangerous habits. Altieri wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and also see what our inexperienced drivers were being taught. Altieri was shocked by the effectiveness of the program, and easily sentenced drivers to the class once she personally experienced the benefits. She is unaware of any other judge that has audited the program.
Altieri also asked to be placed on an ankle monitoring program for a week. An ankle bracelet is a resource the court can utilize, at the defendant’s cost (which saves taxpayer dollars), that will monitor a defendant’s whereabouts via GPS tracking, and also their alcohol intake. Naturally, Altieri feels there are some cases whereby incarceration is the only reasonable alternative. However, there are times when monitoring can be an effective tool. Altieri wanted to test the system.
“I found both the GPS and the alcohol monitoring components highly accurate. I also felt the unanticipated benefit of the mental component of the bracelet. It served as a constant reminder to the defendant that I’m paying attention to what they are doing, and I will know if they step out of line. While I had contemplated the physical and logistical components, I was surprised by the effective mental implications. It reminds you to think twice.”
Altieri found defendants she placed on a drug patch would complain about the patch “falling off.” In response, Altieri wore a drug patch for a week to help her ascertain the validity of the patch falling off. Altieri determined drug patches do not “fall off,” and absent exceptional circumstances, defendants were held accountable.
Judge Altieri is pro-active judge who cares about the community, and wants your vote April 5.
