We had an attempted break in on our front door on Sunday, November 16th.  

The lock was drilled out and there had been an attempt to crow bar the door frame open.  

I didn't expect the same people would come back 4 days later and succeed by coming through our patio door.  

I received a phone call from our security company at 3:16am on Friday, November 21st that the alarm was going off and wondering if they should dispatch out law enforcement.  

I instantly replied yes and got out of bed to head into town to meet our local law enforcement to assess the situation.

Upon arrival at the Liquor Store the police officer said he had checked the front and back door and said they were secure.

As I looked into the front door, I noticed glass all over and asked if he had checked our patio door because it appeared it was broken out.  

We entered the building so he could search the inside.  

I immediately went to the office and noticed the door was broken down and the safe was gone.  

After our remodel, bolting the safe to the floor was always something that was on my "To Do List" but other things got moved ahead on the list and as it got moved farther and farther down the list I never really gave it much thought.

5 years ago we were robbed and our entire safe was cleaned out because my bartender had forgotten to lock the safe before she left for the night.  

It was not an inside job, just careless on the bartender's part to not double check to make sure the safe was locked before leaving for the night.  

The person broke in was never found and got away with about $3000.  

After that incident our closing procedures were changed.

Here are some things to help protect you from a break-in/robbery:

* Have an alarm system that does not run through your phone line.  

When our alarm is armed and a code is not punched in upon entering the building the alarm goes off.  

Alarms that run through your phone line to dispatch out the security company are not as effective as alarms that run through cell service.  

People who want to break in, more than likely have investigated your place and know where your phone line is to cut it before entering the building.

* Panic Button.  

We have a panic button installed for the safety of our bartenders when they are here and something would occur.  

It immediately dispatches out law enforcement to come.

* BOLT YOUR SAFE TO THE FLOOR.

Our new safe is now bolted to the floor and make sure it is reinforced securely.

* Do not keep a large amount of cash in the safe at closing.  

We do a money drop to the bank every night.  

All that is left in the safe at closing is the rolls of extra change.  

All checks, currency and credit card receipts go to the bank.  

This time we only lost $216 worth of change which is still a big deal, but it could have been a lot worse.  

Our local law enforcement is supposed to come and escort the closing bartender to the bank each night but sometimes that is not always possible if they are out on another call.

* Talk with your staff and tell them if they witness anything suspicious to let management know and document it.  

The people who broke in were in the week before and gave my bartender a bad feeling.  

After she described them we were able to go back to that day on our security cameras and match the description of the vehicle and driver.

* Although the people that robbed us were in and out of the building in 2 minutes and 30 seconds, there was no way they were going to be caught.  

By the time law enforcement was dispatched from the security company the 3 people were already gone and out of town.  

However, by having a camera & alarm system we were able to get footage for our law enforcement for an investigation.

* If a robbery ever happens to you, make sure not to disclose any information that could potentially ruin the investigation.  

When I get asked by customers if there have been any leads in the investigation, I reply "I can't talk about it".  

Of course customers will make their own assumptions anyway, but I do not want to interfere with the investigation by telling them the things I do know.

* Please don't have the "It can't happen here" attitude.  

You never know if a break-in or robbery is going to happen.  

Now is the time to evaluate your procedures so it doesn't happen to you.

I didn't think it would happen here twice in 5 years either but I am really glad we changed our closing procedures because it could have been a lot worse this time around.

Cheers!

Karissa Kurth

Buffalo Lake Liquor 

Minnesota's municipal liquor stores' profits stalled and contributions to city coffers dropped last year  according to a Minnesota State Auditor's report released Tuesday.

The 237 stores had record sales for the 18th consecutive year in 2013, totaling more than $332.8 million, but the increase was small ญญญ- $3.2 million - or 1 percent over 2012.  

And the stores' $26.8 million combined net profit dropped $500,522, or 1.8 percent, from 2012.

The municipal liquor stores transferred $18.6 million in profits to other city coffers, or 19 percent less than total net transfers in 2012.

Otto's annual report showed that for some small communities, municipal liquor remained a part of their revenue outlook.

"No politician likes to raise taxes or cut services. For several years, cities have relied more and more on municipal liquor income that used to be paid for out of the general fund," Kaspszak said.

That in turn could play a role in the perennial legislative fight over whether to allow Sunday liquor sales - small cities with their own liquor stores would like to prevent Sunday sales because they fear rising expenses by opening on Sunday without much added revenue.  

They also worry about an overall climate of deregulation that could lead to, for instance, wine sales at grocery stores.

In 2013, 205 Minnesota cities ran 237 municipal liquor stores. Of those, 111 cities operated both a bar and a store, while 94 cities operated a store only.  

Click Here to See the Report