Farmington Police Department

Scott Roberge of Farmington PD, in conjunction with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Bureau of Enforcement and Strafford County Sheriff’s Office, recently conducted Alcohol Compliance Checks of liquor licensees. A total of 12 businesses in Farmington were checked. This is the first occasion where the Town of Farmington attained a 100% compliance rate with no sales.

In a compliance check, local law enforcement and New Hampshire Liquor Commission Bureau of Enforcement personnel send an underage buyer into a licensed establishment to purchase an alcoholic beverage. To assure the public that compliance checks are conducted in a fair manner and utilizing persons that appear underage, the underage buyers are previously selected by an Age Assessment Panel comprised of qualified citizens of the community. The underage buyer attempts to purchase an alcoholic beverage and produces their valid driver’s license when asked by the clerk.

Alcohol is a major contributing factor to a wide variety of crimes committed by youthful offenders. Research has taught us that the earlier teenagers start drinking, the more likely they will become addicted to alcohol or other drugs. Statistics show that alcohol is involved in the three leading causes of death for young people. In the most recent (2009) Youth Risk Behavioral Study for this region, 71% of high school students responded that it was easy or very easy to obtain beer wine or hard liquor and 36% responded that they drank at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days.

Reducing the availability of alcohol to youth at the source and holding the “gatekeepers” accountable, is an effective strategy in reducing crime and mortality of our youth. In addition to the deterrent effect this initiative has in reducing the sale of alcoholic beverages to underage persons, the compliance checks are a valuable educational tool when conducted in a community wide effort. The NH Liquor Commission Bureau of Enforcement also offers TEAM alcohol server/sales training sessions for the businesses licensed to sell alcohol.

These compliance checks are funded through the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Grant Program. This project was supported by Grant No. 2008AHFX0019 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Justice.