A state's department of alcohol and beverage control licenses and regulates who can manufacture, transport and sell alcoholic beverages. Alcohol and beverage control officers are commissioned peace officers who investigate license applicants, respond to reported allegations and enforce state alcoholic beverage laws. Officers also educate applicants, license holders and, in some states, students and members of civic organizations about complying with these laws.
When an individual or a business applies with a state's department of alcohol and beverage control, an officer will review the application, check the person's background, investigate the business and then recommend whether or not to grant the applicant's request for licensure.
Some states even let their alcohol and beverage control officers decide whether or not to approve an application. The alcohol and beverage control officer in the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, for example, oversees the alcohol and beverage control licenses and alcohol sales permits for the city he or she works in. The officer also helps applicants and license-holders understand the applicable rules and regulations for selling alcoholic beverages.
Advertisement Article continues below this adAfter granting an applicant's request for licensure to sell and serve alcoholic beverages, officers will make sure that the license-holder follows applicable rules and regulations. For example, officers will ensure that license-holders prominently display their alcohol license and any other required signage, such as warnings for underage tobacco use. This oversight includes making scheduled and surprise inspections and can even include overseeing attempts to catch the license-holder breaking a law: for example, having a minor try to purchase alcohol from a license-holder's establishment.
Alcohol and beverage officers have jurisdiction to inspect a license-holder's premises if someone reports that a violation has occurred. Violations can include bootlegging, sales to minors, possession by minors and application fraud. Some departments of alcohol and beverage control will use minors in these inspections. If a minor is able to purchase alcohol from an establishment, it risks temporarily or permanently losing its license to sell alcoholic beverages. Officers can also arrest someone who violates a state or city's rules and regulations for selling alcohol.
Advertisement Article continues below this adEducation is another critical component of an alcohol beverage control agent's responsibilities. Officers at the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, for example, regularly teach school children and licensees and their employees about applicable alcoholic beverage laws and compliance. Similarly, officers at the New York State Liquor Authority's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control lead seminars about complying with the state's alcohol beverage control laws for licensees. This agency also sets standards for and certifies schools that want to offer similar classes.