Washington: Shoplifting incidents rise with liquor privatization

Volume 118: February 4, 2013

Washington: Shoplifting incidents rise with liquor privatization

January 26, 2013

In November, two boys, ages 15 and 16, snatched three liquor bottles off the shelves of the Kelso Safeway and burst out the doors. Earlier this month, also at the Kelso Safeway, a woman placed bottles of booze in her shopping cart and purse, then simply wheeled the cart out the door without paying.

Spirits theft has become a common crime at stores locally and statewide since voters decided in 2011 to shut down the state's liquor stores and allow grocery stores to sell hard alcohol. Shoplifters are taking advantage of the grocery stores' relatively lax security and making off with bottles of whiskey, vodka, tequila and other spirits.

Last year, there were 41 booze thefts in Longview from June through December alone, according to statistics provided by the Longview police department. There probably were more that were not reported, said Longview police Sgt. John Reeves.

Some of the incidents have been violent. In August, a woman struck an employee at the Ocean Beach Highway Walmart while trying to steal a bottle of liquor. And in October, a pair of men assaulted an employee while stealing booze from the Ocean Beach Highway Safeway, according to Longview police.

Locally, the Safeway at 1227 15th Avenue in Longview was by far the hardest-hit by booze thieves last year, with 21 reports of theft. Late last year, during a late-night stop at the 15th Avenue Safeway, a reporter witnessed employees chase several people who grabbed bottles of hard alcohol and rushed out the back of the store.

Other Longview stores fared much better in fending off alcohol thefts. The Seventh Avenue and Ocean Beach Highway Walmarts each reported six alcohol thefts last year. The Ocean Beach Highway Safeway had five, and Fred Meyer had only one, according to Longview Police.

The local thefts are a symptom of a statewide problem that has prompted the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to petition the state Liquor Control Board to require retailers to report spirits thefts.

In its petition, the association said about 1,500 liquor sales outlets have opened up since liquor sales were privatized June 1. That's nearly five times the number of stores - 329 - that sold spirits before Initiative 1183 took effect and abolished the state sales system.

"Many, if not most, of these businesses were not planned and constructed to properly secure high-theft items such as spirits. As a result, we believe significant amounts of spirts are being diverted from legitimate sales and unlawfully making their way into the community," the association's petition said.

To read more, click this link: http://tdn.com/news/local/shoplifting-incidents-rise-with-liquor-privatization/article_acaef634-6742-11e2-b87b-0019bb2963f4.html

Source: The Daily News

Tennessee: Wine and spirits retailers cry foul on wine in grocery stores bill

January 31, 2013

Locally-owned businesses point to out-of-state corporations that are driving the move to weaken state's system for alcohol control

Tennessee business owners representing nearly 600 local businesses that employ 3,000 citizens called on legislators to oppose a bill that would allow communities to vote via referendum to allow wine sales in grocery and convenience stores. The Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association (TWSRA) said the legislation, announced today by Senator Bill Ketron and Representative Jon Lundberg, is a ploy by out-of-state corporations to circumvent representative government and split the state on an issue of critical importance to the public health and small businesses of Tennessee.

"These out-of-state chains like Walmart and Kroger are determined to get more profit out of the state of Tennessee, no matter what the cost," said Chip Christianson, vice president of legislative affairs for TWSRA. "This is a highly complex issue that has enormous ramifications on the public safety and small business of our state. Tennessee legislators have studied it intensely for 5 years and still have not found a viable solution. So now the out-of-state chains want to bypass them and take it for a simple yes or no vote. This is not a simple issue. Legislators must realize what these corporations are trying to do and stop them in their tracks."

Wine and spirits retailers say that regardless if wine in food stores is decided on the state or local level, it is a measure that will radically change the state's system for controlling and selling high-proof alcohol and the welfare of local communities. A coalition of more than 125 police chiefs and sheriffs in large cities and small towns across Tennessee has also come out in strong opposition to the legislation.

In announcing the bill, the grocery corporations acknowledged that the wine they wish to sell will have up to 3x the alcohol content of the beer currently on their shelves. Christianson said this vast difference in alcohol content is the reason that the state put wine in specialty retail stores to begin with. This is not a product that should be readily available on the shelves of grocery and convenience stores, said Christianson. He said the wine these stores will be allowed to sell will not only include higher-end bottles, but also the low-end and box wines that young people regularly use to become quickly intoxicated.

"This issue has far more implications than most people realize," said Christianson. "There are a range of complications to this bill that impact the way high-proof alcohol is controlled, current rules by which current wine and spirits store must abide, and ultimately the well being of our communities."

"It's disturbing to think these out-of-state corporations are working to bypass our legislative system," Christianson continued. "They are skilled marketers and regularly convince consumers to buy their products whether they're good for them or not. Now they'll be using that same marketing money and power town by town to convince citizens that allowing high-proof alcohol on their shelves is good for the community. But really the only thing it's good for is padding the bottom line of these out-of-state chains."

Currently there are nearly 600 wine and spirits stores in Tennessee that employ more than 3,000 Tennesseans. By law, these stores must be owned by Tennesseans.

"Tennessee wine retailers have owned and operated our shops for years. We feel a sense of responsibility to the health and well-being of our state. We give back to our local communities in both tax dollars and charitable contributions. We work with local law enforcement to make sure our towns and cities are safe," said Christianson. "The state of Tennessee has put considerable time and resources into promoting our local farms, restaurants and industries. Local wine retailers and our employees are also central to our state's economic health. We call on legislators to see through the tactics of Walmart, Kroger and other out-of-state chains and stand together for the well-being of our state."

Source: NewsChannel 5

Binge drinking among NYC teens associated with violence, drug use and unsafe sex

January 27, 2013

In "Rebel without a Cause," James Dean's father impotently warns the high-schooler to stay away from gatherings where teens imbibe alcohol.

"You know what kind of drunken brawls those kind of parties turn into," he says. "It's not a place for kids."

New figures from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found that teenagers who drink are more likely to be involved in violence, serious narcotic drug use and unsafe sexual practices.

Both occasional and binge drinking occur at lower rates in the city than in the rest of country, and rates are declining both locally and nationally. But Dr. Hillary Kunins said the latest research suggests many troubling associations among adolescents who drink.

"We are pleased our rates are lower than the rest of the country," said Kunins, the assistant commissioner in the Department's Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use - Prevention, Care and Treatment, "but nonetheless we remain concerned about the pattern of drinking, especially with binge drinking."

The latest statistics come in a public health briefing for doctors obtained by WNYC. They're based on a national survey of high school students that local health officials get from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Locally, almost 12,000 youths participated. The survey defines occasional drinkers as having had one drink in the prior month and binge drinkers as having at least five drinks in a row once in the prior month.

Some of the more interesting findings:

33 percent of girls and 28 percent of boys described themselves as occasional drinkers. Within this group, 47 percent of boys and 41 percent of girls said they binge drink.
Demographically, only 14 percent of Asian youths said they occasionally drink, while 29 percent of African-Americans, 36 percent of Hispanics and 40 percent of whites said they do.
Three percent of non-drinkers said they were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year, but seven percent of occasional drinkers and 17 percent of binge drinkers say that's happened. More than half of binge drinkers said they were in fights (53 percent), as did more than a third of occasional drinkers (35 percent) and about a fifth of non-drinkers (20 percent).
One percent or less of non-drinking teens had tried serious narcotic drugs. Percentages climbed a bit among occasional drinkers, but among binge drinkers, they skyrocketed: about 11 percent had tried heroin and methamphetamines, 17 percent had tried cocaine and 20% had tried ecstasy.

To read more, click this link: http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2013/jan/27/binge-drinking-among-nyc-teens-associated-violence-drug-use-and-unsafe-sex/

Source: WNYC

Texas: Not everyone embracing Sunday liquor store bill

January 24, 2013

SEGUIN - A bill has been introduced in the Texas Legislature to allow liquor stores to stay open on Sunday, but store managers and owners are not supporting it.

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, filed House Bill 421 on Jan. 9. If passed by both houses of the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, the bill will allow liquor stores in Texas to be open from noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Since before the adoption of Prohibition, Texas liquor stores have been required to close on Sunday.

"I think it sucks," said Mark Moore, manager of Zella's Liquors, 1052 E. Kingsbury in Seguin. "I'm not going to do it," Moore said about staying open on Sundays if the bill becomes law.

Thompson's bill also proposes to increase the hours liquor stores are allowed to be open on the other days of the week. Currently, they can be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. HB 421 adds two hours to the schedule, authorizing the stores to be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Moore had the same comment about the longer hours: "I'm not going to do it."

Like other liquor store owners and managers across the state, Moore said opening on Sunday will increase costs more than it increases sales.

"In other states, it's been done," he said. "They had a 6 percent increase in sales, but it cost another 17 percent in labor and time."

Source: Seguin Gazette

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