February 2, 2022 Vol. 5

NLLEA-logo.png

The National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA) is a non-profit association

of law enforcement personnel dedicated to the enforcement of liquor laws and regulations.

Call for 2022 NLLEA Annual Conference Workshop Proposals


Pittsburgh, PA-Sept. 26-28


Submit your workshop presentation proposal by March 31, 2022, if accepted presenters receive a discounted registration!


CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

National Liquor Law Enforcement Association

2022 Award Nomination Form

The NLLEA Awards recognize leaders and outstanding programs in the field of alcohol law enforcement. Annual awards are given in the following four categories: Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency of the Year, Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent of the Year, Innovative Alcohol Law Enforcement Program of the Year, and the John W. Britt Community Service Award. For more information on each award, visit the awards page at nllea.org. 

The deadline for receiving nominations is March 31, 2022. Please email this document along with any supporting documentation to carrie.christofes@nllea.org. You should receive an email confirmation of your submission within 48 hours. If you do not receive an email receipt confirmation, please call 724-762-5939 to confirm receipt of the nomination.

Staying safe while enjoying nightlife | Expert offers safety tips after several Atlanta shootings

A rash of shootings at Atlanta bars and nightclubs is leaving people on edge. A public safety expert is now encouraging people to go out while having a plan in place in case something goes awry. 

"If we look at violence, not just in Atlanta, but across the country, we certainly do see an uptick in violent behavior," Cedric Alexander said.

National public safety expert and former DeKalb County Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander believes several things need to be done after six shootings at Metro bars and clubs over the past week. The most recent one happened at Pregame Bar & Grill Saturday morning, which killed one person and sent three others to the hospital. 

Read More

PA-Let voters decide on liquor privatization

The call for liquor privatization isn’t a new trend in Pennsylvania. It’s been an occasional topic in Harrisburg since 1933, when post-prohibition rules were put into place.

The topic has come up again, this time in a proposal that would give Pennsylvania’s voters the decision to keep liquor sales private, or maintain the status quo. State Rep. Natalie Mihalek, a Republican from Allegheny and Washington counties has proposed a constitutional amendment to privatize the state-run liquor industry.

This isn’t a quick solution due to the law requiring changes to the state constitution. In Pennsylvania — one of 17 states that control the sale of spirits, wine and beer according to the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association — the proposal would have to pass state House and Senate over two consecutive sessions before it would get on the ballot. Because Pennsylvania is in the second year of two-year terms for state Representatives, it means the earliest such a proposal would appear on the ballot would be the 2023 primary.

Read More

Dram Shop Liability: Addressing the New "To Go" rules in Texas

In our continuing series of articles addressing Dram Shop Liability in Texas, this article addresses "to go" alcohol sales.

One thing the pandemic brought to Texas that may have been a positive was the change in laws concerning alcohol sales and delivery of alcohol. In 2019, Texas, like many other states, approved new legislation allowing restaurants and bars to sell to-go alcoholic beverages. Prior to the pandemic, most states, including Texas, prohibited such sales. Senate Bill 1450 created two separate paths that authorize certain retailers to deliver alcohol directly to consumers

Read More

The Next Normal—DtC Shipping Reverts to Pre-Pandemic Predictions

The 2022 Direct to Consumer Wine Shipping Report has been released, and the industry is likely breathing a collective sigh of relief. The report, an annual collaboration between Sovos ShipCompliant and Wines Vines Analytics, shows the industry slowly returning to its pre-pandemic state.

COVID-19 nonetheless made its presence known, as data analysis was approached differently than in years past: “In this report, it was necessary to compare 2021 shipping data to 2019 as well as 2020 to get a sense of the degree to which the winery DtC shipping market had recovered from the historic impact COVID-19 had on the channel in 2020.” The good news is, overall, “2021 looks a good deal like what we would have expected it to look like had the pandemic never happened.”

Read More

Cannabis may impair driving ability for up to 4 hours, study finds

Cannabis can impair a person’s ability to drive up to 4 hours after the drug is used, according to a recent study

“Although performance was improving at 3.5 hours, recovery was not fully seen until 4.5 hours post smoking'” researchers stated in the report published in the JAMA Psychiatry.

A group of researchers from the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California San Diego looked at 191 regular cannabis users and found that smoking cannabis led to significantly declined simulated driving scores, according to the authors of the two-year randomized trial study.  

Read More

To-Go Drinks Had Plenty of Fans in New York. Just Not the Right Ones.

Amid the gloom and economic devastation that the pandemic first brought to New York, state officials introduced a crowd-pleasing salve: the temporary legalization of to-go alcoholic drinks.

The move in March 2020 was seen as a lifeline to a restaurant industry that had been decimated by the virus, and a socially pointed diversion for New Yorkers eager to reclaim a wisp — even in the form of a takeout margarita — of their prepandemic lives.

So when state lawmakers attempted to permanently legalize to-go cocktails last spring, the effort seemed to many like a shoo-in.

And yet, by the time lawmakers adjourned in June, the measure was dead, the apparent victim to a powerful and ubiquitous force in Albany: the relatively discreet but forceful opposition from lobbyists for an aggrieved liquor store industry.

Read More

NC-ALE investigation leads to more than 30 arrests in Columbus County

A months-long investigation by the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) led to more than 30 arrests in Columbus County on Jan. 28.

“The operation addressed the illegal sales of guns, drugs and alcohol from ABC-licensed businesses and residences throughout Columbus County,” a news release from the N.C. Department of Public Safety states.

The operation resulted in a total of 34 arrests and 213 charges, 197 of which were felonies.

Before dawn on Jan. 28, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies partnered to serve 32 people with felony arrest warrants, as well as a residential search warrant. Officials say 21 of those suspects were taken into custody while 11 are still at large.

Special agents seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, oxycodone, Adderall, Suboxone, marijuana, non-taxpaid alcoholic beverages and five firearms.

“The success of this operation was the direct result of hard work and cooperation put forth by each agency who participated in the investigation,” said Bryan House, Director of ALE. “Through proactive efforts like this, we hope to make each community safer throughout Columbus County.”

Read More

Delaware restaurants will be able to sell alcohol to-go regardless of pandemic

You can now get to-go alcohol from restaurants in Delaware regardless of a global pandemic, thanks to a new bill.

The legislation by House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, a Rehoboth Beach Democrat, makes drive-thru and takeout alcohol sales officially legal – and permanent.

Lawmakers passed the bill on Thursday. Gov. John Carney plans to sign the bill into law once his legal team reviews it, according to his spokesperson Jonathan Starkey.

Read More

TABC TRACE Program

The Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC) manages a program called Target Responsibility for Alcohol-Connected Emergencies (TRACE). TRACE is a law enforcement operation that investigates the source of alcohol service when crimes involve serious injury or death. These crimes can include motor vehicle crashes, homicides, sexual assaults, or other crimes where alcohol was a contributing factor.

Read More

PA-Dauphin County leaders raise awareness of human trafficking in their community

Thousands of victims and hundreds of cases have put Pennsylvania among the top human-trafficking states in the country—and Harrisburg is a hotspot.

Read More

If you have Alcohol Law Enforcement news to share please send it to Carrie Christofes, Executive Director carrie.christofes@nllea.org

2021-22 NLLEA Board Members:

Todd Merlina, President - PA - tmerlina@pa.gov

Thomas Kirby, Vice President - VA - thomas.kirby@virginiaabc.com

Israel Morrow, Secretary/Treasurer - NC - israel.morrow@ncdps.gov

Jim Diana, Sergeant at Arms - DE -james.diana@delaware.gov

John Yeomans, President - DE - john.yeomans@delaware.gov

Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  LinkedIn