August 24, 2022 Vol. 33

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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.

Ensure your Agency is in Good Standing to Vote at the Upcoming Sgt.-at-Arms Election at the 2022 Annual Conference Click Here to Renew 2022-23 NLLEA Membership

To renew your NLLEA Agency Membership for 2022-23 go to www.nllea.org and log in with your email and password.   Click on my agency, (right below your name) that will take you to your agency page, then click on renew membership, it is a purple button in left corner, then enter your credit card information and hit submit. If you have any problems at all just call Carrie Christofes, Executive Director at 724-762-5939 and she will take your payment over the phone. 

We are 1 Month Away! Reserve your Seat & Hotel Room Today! Room Reservations Must be Made by Sept. 5th to Receive the NLLEA Block Discount. Click Here to Register for the 2022 NLLEA Conference September 26-28 Pittsburgh, PA

Conference Registration and Hotel Booking are Now Available

Registration is $500.00 for members and $650.00 for non-members

Hotel Accomodations for NLLEA Guests is $149.00/night

NLLEA Conference is a professional law enforcement event, open to NLLEA members, qualified non-members, public health professionals and exhibitors

Check out the conference agenda below listing all workshops, speakers and exhibitors!

Conference Agenda

TX-El Rio Bar loses liquor license following human trafficking investigation

A Hidalgo County bar can no longer sell alcohol after its liquor permit was canceled by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission following a human trafficking investigation.

The owner of El Rio Bar in Mission, surrendered the business's liquor license following an Aug. 9 meeting with agents of TABC's Special Investigations Unit.

"By removing this bar's ability to sell alcohol, TABC agents have cut off a major source of funding for criminal activity in the Mission community," TABC Executive Director Thomas Graham said. "Not only does this keep the community safer, but it also makes it easier for businesses who follow the law to operate successfully. I'm proud of the hard work of our investigators, and I'd like to thank the members of the Mission community who stepped up and assisted with this case."

Agents began their probe of the business in 2020 after receiving intelligence of possible organized crime including human trafficking. During the investigation, agents seized narcotics and said they observed multiple incidents of alleged drink solicitation. 

Drink solicitation happens when an alcohol retailer allows a worker to solicit drinks from a customer, typically above the customary price. TABC investigators also referred several potential human trafficking victims to non-governmental organizations for victim services.


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Gun violence starts to drop as Buffalo police target 'micro hot spots'

The red, white and blue lights on the top of the two patrol cars swirled, illuminating the intersection of Walden Avenue and Harmonia Street the night of Aug. 10.

A lieutenant and two patrol officers walked around. Drivers slowed and peered out their windows. A worker at the convenience store on the corner stepped outside.

But it wasn't a 911 call that drew the police to Walden Avenue that night.

They were in that precise location because police identified it as a "micro hot spot." Since June, two people were shot and another stabbed within about a block of that intersection – a sign there could be more violence in the future.

The officers' assignment: park their cars, put on their lights, walk around and talk to whoever is out and about. 

"We're trying to make a presence," said Officer Ann Devaney, who, along with her partner, Officer Andrew Moffett, and Lt. Jim Otwell, spent about 15 minutes at the intersection.

The idea: Put police officers in the places where there has been recent gun violence.

The police aren't there to ticket drivers and arrest people, although they can if they see a crime in progress or a traffic violation. But that's not the point.

"Our presence alone will act as a deterrence for any other gun violence," Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said.

After two years of near record-high numbers of shootings in Buffalo, gun violence is on the decline in the city, even when the May 14 massacre at Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue that left 10 dead and three more shot is factored in.

Shootings are down about 36% in the first seven months of this year, compared to 2021, according to Buffalo police data. For the month of July, usually one of the busiest for crimes, the number of people who were shot was down 65%, compared to both 2020 and 2021. Shootings in cities across the state outside of New York City have overall shown a decrease in shootings, but Albany and Syracuse have continued to see increases, according to data from the state.

"This new strategy, which is very data-driven, where we identify hot spots and then send police into hot spots for foot patrol has helped to build the community and police relationship," Mayor Byron Brown said.

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Federal Court Strikes Down Maine’s Residency Requirement For Cannabis Business Owners

A law requiring all owners of medical marijuana businesses in Maine to be residents of the state was struck down last week by a federal appeals court, which ruled that the statute is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that the residency requirement is an unconstitutional restriction on interstate trade.

Under the regulations for Maine’s medical marijuana program, all directors or officers of a dispensary licensed to sell medical cannabis must be residents of the state. In 2020, Maine’s largest medical marijuana company, Wellness Connection, filed a suit to challenge the residency requirement on the grounds that it violates the Constitution’s “Dormant Commerce Clause,” which prohibits states from passing legislation that restricts interstate trade.

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OK-South Tulsa hookah lounge manager arrested for serving alcohol without a liquor license

A warning for business owners in Green Country to get a license if they serve alcohol.

It comes after the manager of a hookah lounge in Tulsa was arrested for operating a so called “Bottle Club.”

Officials told the Blue Hookah Bar near 71st and Mingo was serving alcohol without a license.

Officers from the Able Commission, which oversees law enforcement of alcohol, told FOX23 that the bar’s beer and liquor license expired six months ago.

The Able Commission said they sent an undercover officer into Blue Hookah Bar around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The officer paid a fee to go in and saw the lounge operating their bottle club.

Assistant Director of the Able Commission Brent Fairchild told FOX23 that bottle clubs aren’t allowed.

“In the past, a bottle club was a business that did not sell alcohol. A bottle club actually sold memberships,” Fairchild explained. “You brought your bottle, you gave it to them, they charged you set up fees and poured your alcohol for you.”

He continued, “That part of the law has been stricken, and the entire state now is a mixed beverage state.”

The Able Commission said this is a misdemeanor, but they want to remind businesses that they need a license to sell alcohol.

“Get a license, that’s my warning,” Fairchild said. “I understand things are tough. Everybody’s trying to figure out a way to make money, but if you’re going to do it with alcohol, you have to get a proper license.”

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Pennsylvanians Against Gaming Expansion call for action against “skill games”

Pennsylvanians Against Gaming Expansion has once again urged lawmakers in the Keystone State to seek a tougher stance on “skill games,” which have been harming the state budget. According to the organization, citing data from the Pennsylvania Lottery, such games have cost the Pennsylvania Lottery scratch sales $650 million.

More Action Needed, Urges PAGE

The Pennsylvania State Police, Attorney General, and the state’s gambling regulator all maintain that such skill games are illegal, yet they still exist in Pennsylvania. In a press release, the organization said that unregulated gambling was harming the state’s tax revenue and licensed gambling products. A statement by the organization read:

In the following report, we show detailed analyses that estimate more than $650 million in Pennsylvania Lottery scratch sales have been lost to unregulated Games of Skill machines across the Commonwealth.
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Maker of nicotine gummies warned by the FDA that their product is a looming 'public health crisis' among children

Federal regulators on Thursday issued a first-of-a-kind warning to the maker of nicotine gummies, saying the illegal candies pose a growing risk to teenagers and younger children.

The Food and Drug Administration said the fruit-flavored gummies from Florida manufacturer VPR Brands could cause nicotine poisoning or even death if eaten by small children. Regulators also cited recent research suggesting nicotine candies and similar products are becoming more popular among high school students.

“Nicotine gummies are a public health crisis just waiting to happen among our nation’s youth, particularly as we head into a new school year,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.

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The Next Frontier

Using Police Activity Data to Expand Our Understanding of Community Needs

Over the past half-century, the role of police has expanded greatly, resulting in law enforcement officers being relied on as the default responders for many of society’s deep-rooted problems, including those stemming from substance use and mental health. Rethinking the role of police and the most appropriate response to a broad range of issues (e.g., loud music complaints, traffic accidents) requires a closer examination of what communities need. Yet, relying solely on reported crime incidents to understand the challenges a community faces significantly limits a full view of community needs. Though crime incidents may be easy to count given decades of standardization, they present an incomplete picture of what’s really going on in a community. Fortunately, a more complete picture can be had because nearly every community in the United States is already collecting the data. However, “the bad news is that nobody is using it.”1

The data alluded to are, of course, a jurisdiction’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data—referred to in this article as police events, though often colloquially referred to as 911 calls or calls for service (CFS). Event data are effectively an accounting of all the activity police officers engage in within their community, whether it is initiated by the police or in response to a request from a community member through 911. This activity certainly includes responding to crime, but it also includes many non-crime-related activities, such as addressing quality-of-life concerns or responding to traffic collisions. In fact, most police activity is not responding to crimes. Roughly 30 percent of police events are related to crime in general, whereas as little as 1 percent of police events are related to serious violent crimes.2

The question remains, however, if crime incidents present an incomplete picture of the community, and agencies are collecting rich data on the full scope of police activity and community needs, then why are police event data so often underutilized? A primary reason is that police event data are challenging to work with. Unlike crime incidents, there exists almost no standardization for recording and analyzing police event activity. Event data vary between and within departments, with each deciding its own policies and practices and almost no national guidelines or best practices to follow. Thus, though police event data offer a treasure trove—the next frontier—for understanding the evolution of community needs, analyzing the data in a robust and generalizable way currently presents significant hurdles.3

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SC-King Street bar owners requesting ID scanner pilot program

A handful of King Street bar and restaurant owners are asking the City of Charleston for help with an underage drinking crackdown.

Roy Neal, the owner of El Jefe, wants to have help paying for ID scanners that tell if a drivers license is fake or real. He says that the naked eye cannot know what’s real of fake anymore.

“The dynamics have changed. Years ago to get a fake ID you’d get one from your brother or sister or somebody that looked like you,” said Neal. “Nowadays you’re sending in a photo like you’re getting a passport to some company in China and they’re sending you six IDs for $200. You can’t visually look at the IDs anymore and know if it’s valid because these things are just so good.”

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PA-LCE: 12 businesses cited for selling alcohol to minors

Several establishments in Pennsylvania have been charged after liquor control enforcement operations were performed within multiple counties in NEPA.

The Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (LCE) released details on recently performed compliance checks.

LCE officers are responsible for enforcing liquor laws and related provisions within the region of the state licensed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Counties included in this enforcement report include Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Susquehanna.

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2 ex-fraternity members get 6 weeks jail for hazing death

Two former fraternity members were sentenced to six weeks in jail on Wednesday after being convicted of hazing-related misdemeanor counts in the death of a Bowling Green State University student last year.

The two men were both acquitted in May of more serious charges — including involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide — in the March 2021 death of 20-year-old Stone Foltz.

Troy Henricksen, 24, of Grove City, Ohio, had been convicted of hazing and failure to comply with underage alcohol laws, and was sentenced Wednesday to 42 days in jail and 28 days of house arrest.

Jacob Krinn, 21, of Delaware, Ohio, was convicted of obstruction of official business, hazing and failure to comply, and was also sentenced to 42 days in jail.

Authorities have said Foltz, a sophomore also from Delaware, Ohio, died of alcohol poisoning after a fraternity initiation event in which he was hazed into finishing an entire bottle of alcohol.

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U.S. traffic deaths jumped in early 2022, hitting 20-year high

More than 9,500 people were killed in traffic crashes in the first three months of this year, federal transportation officials said Wednesday — a figure that represents the deadliest start to a year on U.S. roads in two decades.

In seven states and the District, officials estimated crash deaths jumped at least 50 percent. Nationwide, deaths were up 7 percent compared with the same period last year.

The figures are preliminary estimates, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not release breakdowns of the causes of crashes. Officials say a surge in traffic fatalities that started in 2020 as the pandemic began has continued unabated.

“The overall numbers are still moving in the wrong direction,” said Steven Cliff, the head of NHTSA. “Now is the time for all states to double down on traffic safety.”

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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

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