Liquor Enforcement in Saco

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A Newsletter by the City of Saco, Maine	July, 2008	Return to newsletter index

With the State cutting back their public safety liquor enforcement division, the burden of enforcing liquor laws started to rest with local municipalities and their law enforcement departments. With remarks from the U.S. Surgeon General about the adverse effects that alcohol abuse was having on families, schools and communities began a new wave of enforcement initiatives across the country to combat the apathy towards the illegal consumption of alcohol.

With this, came federal money disbursed to states and ultimately down to communities to bring the battle to the grass roots level, and the Saco Police Department took advantage of the opportunity. Grants were applied for and received through the Office of Substance Abuse, a subdivision of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. This money was earmarked to be used for training a team of officers in Maine Liquor Laws and start a strategic underage drinking team to address illegal sales, transportation, furnishing and providing a place for the illegal consumption of alcohol by minors. The initiative was to also develop a training program to assist liquor license holders in better understanding the law and how to properly identify and handle the presentation of false identification cards to prevent the sale of liquor to minors.

From the onset of the grant, partnerships began to develop starting with Shaw's Supermarket. Saco's Underage Liquor enforcement team was welcomed and Shaw's Supermarket pledged to work with us to help with their problem of juveniles approaching their customers to purchase liquor for them out in the parking lots. Surveillances immediately began in parking lots of major supermarkets and arrests were made immediately for crimes of furnishing liquor to minors, illegal transportation and illegal sales.

We continue to believe that early, aggressive intervention is one of the keys to curbing illegal drinking by young people, which leads to increased rates of alcoholism among teens and needless and preventable tragedy, often behind the wheel of an automobile.