August 17, 2022 Vol. 32

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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 less than 2 Months Away! Reserve your Seat & Hotel Room Today! 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

Washington, D.C. Officials To Begin Inspections of ‘Gifting’ Shops Next Month

Regulators in the capital announced last week that they would start inspecting unlicensed cannabis businesses to ensure compliance with various laws.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration said it was “a ‘Joint Cannabis Task Force’ made up of various organizations. [Washington, D.C.] “Government Agencies” will begin visiting companies next month after a 30-day grace period.

DC voters passed an initiative to legalize recreational cannabis in 2014, but the sale of weed is still technically illegal due to a congressional ban.

Companies there have found loopholes in their “gift” practices. Customers pay for items like T-shirts and “gift” cannabis in return.

The practice has upset many of Washington, D.C.’s medical cannabis dealers, who say the illegal stores are cutting into their business.

In April, the DC City Council rejected a proposal backed by the medical marijuana industry. The proposal would impose harsher fines on businesses engaged in gift-giving.

The inspections announced by the Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control will be conducted to ensure that unlicensed cannabis businesses comply with the regulatory requirements of “DC Health, the Consumer Regulatory Agency (DCRA), the District of Columbia Fire Department and Emergency Medicine.” Service Department (FEMS), and Tax Office (OTR)”.

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NHTSA Early Estimates Show Record Increase in Fatalities Nationwide

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today released its early estimates of traffic fatalities for the first quarter of 2022

NHTSA estimates that 9,560 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2022. This is an increase of about 7% as compared to the 8,935 fatalities projected for the same quarter in 2021. This would be the highest number of first-quarter fatalities since 2002.

According to NHTSA’s early estimates, the fatality rate for the first quarter of 2022 increased to 1.27 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, up from the projected rate of 1.25 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles in the first quarter of 2021. 

NHTSA recently began breaking out fatality trends by state for these quarterly estimates. While fatalities increased nationwide, 19 states and Puerto Rico saw traffic deaths decline during this period. NHTSA will continue to monitor state-by-state numbers to make it easier for state practitioners, researchers and advocates to see if there is a trend and if there are activities these states are undertaking that are contributing to this decline.

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CA-ABC Posts 30-day Suspension Notice at Rocky’s 7440 Club in Citrus Heights

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) suspended Rocky’s 7440 Club’s alcohol license located at 7440 Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights. Alcohol sales are immediately prohibited for 30 days and will not be allowed until the suspension has concluded.

ABC agents opened an investigation after receiving complaints from the community and the Citrus Heights Police Department. For over a year, the Citrus Heights Police Department responded numerous times to address reports of DUI, public intoxication, fights, battery, theft, and assault with a firearm at Rocky’s 7440 Club. ABC found that Rocky’s was operating as a disorderly premises.

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KS-Lawrence police plan to crack down on underage drinking, fake IDs

The Lawrence Police Department plans to crack down on underage drinking and fake IDs just as the fall semester of the University of Kansas gets underway.

The department plans to team up with the KU Public Safety Office and the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division to put together a task force to “help deter intoxication and help reduce crimes of violence,” according to a proposal to the Lawrence City Commission from Lt. Ryan Halsted. Known as The Douglas County Fake ID Task Force, it will be funded by a $30,000 grant through Sept. 30, from the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office in Topeka.

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DRINKS and Shopify Partner to Power the Next Era of Ecommerce For Wineries

DRINKS, the leader in ecommerce alcohol, today announced a partnership with Shopify, a provider of essential internet infrastructure for commerce, to introduce a regulatory solution that allows wineries and retailers in the United States – for the first time – to have real-time tax and compliance fully embedded within a native Shopify checkout experience.

Available to Shopify Plus merchants at launch, DRINKS’ app provides a wine-specific real-time tax and compliance solution integrated directly within Shopify checkout, providing wineries and retailers with the same platform trusted by Fortune 20 retailers, leading brands, and ecommerce marketplaces. DRINKS’ app empowers wineries and retailers to dramatically expand their Direct to Consumer (DTC) footprint and take full advantage of the powerful Shopify ecosystem to create, customize, scale, and monetize.

“The days of substandard technology stifling DTC growth for our industry are over,“ said Zac Brandenberg, Co-Founder and CEO at DRINKS. “DRINKS’ partnership with Shopify is a massive leap forward for tens of thousands of wineries and retailers who can now leverage DRINKS’ regulatory technology seamlessly within the world-class Shopify ecosystem.”

DRINKS makes alcohol tax and compliance simple on Shopify. By installing the DRINKS app, wineries and retailers gain proven tools to help manage complex DTC rules, eliminating the burden of keeping up with constantly changing taxes and regulations. Wineries and retailers can get up and running quickly with hundreds of pre-configured compliance rules – all fully adjustable and automatically updated as tax rates and rules change.

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KY-Louisville bars offered sexual assault prevention kits; 'This could happen anywhere'

Alcoholic Beverage Control enforcement officers visited nearly 50 bars in the Highlands on Thursday, offering free tools that test for date-rape drugs.

Nearly three months since the pilot program's announcement, a city-funded shipment of tools to prevent sexual assault has arrived and been distributed in Louisville.

Metro and state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) enforcement officers visited nearly 50 bars in the Highlands on Thursday, offering free stickers and cards that test drinks for date-rape drugs. 

"We want you to utilize some of these tools," Chief Investigator RT Watkins said. "It is in your best interest to protect the public."

Several women reported a string of sexual assaults that happened in the bar district along Bardstown Road in late May. Some told officers they woke up in places without any memory of how they got there.

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) is investigating. But as of Thursday afternoon, police haven't made arrests or revealed how many suspects they're looking for.

To give the community an extra layer of protection, Councilmember Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D-8) helped fund the $1,000 trial program in partnership with Metro ABC. After weeks of delays, officers received their order this week.

"We lose sleep at night, [so] we're trying to make sure we're protecting everyone [we] can," Enforcement Lt. Brad Silveria said. "It's a common goal."

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CT-CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMISSIONER ISSUES SUMMARY SUSPENSION FOR BULLSEYE BILLIARDS & BAR IN EAST HAVEN

Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull signed a summary suspension of the liquor permit for BullsEye Billiards & Bar (LCA.6116), located at 655 Main Street in East Haven.

This suspension comes because of a referral to the DCP Liquor Control Division from the East Haven Police Department on August 8, 2022, regarding events that occurred during the early morning hours of August 6, 2022.

On August 6, 2022, East Haven police officers responded to a report of a shooting at BullsEye Billiards & Bar that resulted in the death of a patron, and critical injuries to a bystander. East Haven Police Chief Edward Lennon Jr. also described a “pattern of incidents involving violent behavior” at the premise dating back to June 6, 2021. During this period, Chief Lennon noted 62 additional case numbers representing times that police officers were assigned to the premise at closing time “in an effort to deter illegal and/or violent activity.”

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OR-OLCC Reprimands Two Local Establishments

Two local businesses face reprimands from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. 

Horseshoe Saloon, in Prineville (pictured), will surrender its liquor license after the OLCC found numerous violations. The agency says the restaurant and bar has a history of serious and persistent problems, citing 50 documented incidents; 28 of which involved violence. They were also found to allow self-service alcohol, permitting consumption of alcohol between 2:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. and serving alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person.

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Model Law Proposes Tighter Requirements for Direct-to-Consumer Alcohol Shipping

The Uniform Law Commission, which writes model laws proposing more clarity in key areas of state law, recently adopted the Uniform Alcohol Direct-Shipping Compliance Act (Model Law), receiving quite a bit of attention within the alcoholic beverage industry.

While the Model law addresses numerous topics, it focuses mostly on the shipment, rather than the delivery, of alcoholic beverages. As you may know, most states already authorize direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipments of wine by certain permittees (e.g., wineries), while the vast majority of states do not authorize the same for beer and spirits. This evolving area of law has seen its fair share of litigation in recent years, and the Model Law now serves as one example of a regulatory scheme that state legislatures may consider when seeking to authorize and regulate these activities. Key provisions include:

  • The Model Law defines “alcoholic beverages” broadly enough to include all types of alcoholic beverage products, such as wine, beer, and spirits.
  • The Model Law defines “direct shipper” broadly enough to include all types of permittees, such as manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.
  • The Model Law requires fulfillment providers, or companies that store and arrange for shipping on behalf of the direct shipper, to register with the state and comply with reporting and labeling obligations.
  • The Model Law requires common carriers to confirm they are transporting alcoholic beverages on behalf of a licensed direct shipper or registered fulfillment provider.
  • The Model Law authorizes a state that has issued a permit to a direct shipper to suspend, revoke, or deny renewal of the permit if the state finds that the direct shipper’s shipment of alcoholic beverages into another state violates the laws of the destination state.
  • The Model Law allows for penalties against fulfillment providers, carriers, and direct shippers for violating the law.
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Police exodus 'crisis': Officers are ditching the job at a rate 'never seen before'

'We have a crisis right now in manpower,' a top police official said

Law enforcement officers are leaving their jobs "at a rate we’ve never seen before," with some departments seeing decreases by as many as hundreds of members compared to the same time last year, a handful of the nation’s top police officials said. 

National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Patrick Yoes sounded the alarm during the third annual Faith & Blue conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, when he told about 100 law enforcement officials, community leaders and reporters: "I want to signal a crisis." 

"We see law enforcement officers leave our profession at a rate we've never seen before," Yoes told the crowd. "Our profession is dependent on the best and brightest stepping up and taking this job. And because of the actions, and because of the turmoil that has happened in the last two years, we have a crisis right now in manpower."

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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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