An initiative to control problem liquor establishments in the City of Richmond, funded by a grant from the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Department (ABC), was featured in a June 18th story in the Contra Costa Times. Funding from the grant enabled the Richmond Police to establish collaborative enforcement teams that included police and inspectors from the county and state who worked together to target the worst violators. Because alcohol vendors with the highest rates of associated criminal activity often have multiple health and safety code violations as well, the multi-pronged enforcement effort has had a high rate of success.
In addition to intensified inspection activity, the grant also funded decoy operations designed to catch liquor operators who make a practice of selling alcohol to underage buyers. Awareness of the increased level of enforcement has led to greater efforts by store owners to stay in compliance with the law. In the words of Cpl. Aaron Nunley, “It’s been very successful. There’s been a lot of recognition that we’re out here doing this. We have businesses calling all the time to complain about problems, because now they’re more aware that they are responsible for selling to minors and for loitering around their businesses.”
The application for ABC grant funding was prepared by the Glen Price Group as part of its contract with the City of Richmond to provide grant research and proposal development services for all city departments. During the past two years, the city has received over $2.2 million in funding as a result of grant proposals developed by the Glen Price Group.
