Liquor Control cuts threaten enforcement

The closing of Southeast Missouri's Division of Liquor Control office Monday, along with slashing the agency's staff positions by nearly half, may have grave effects on the division's ability to enforce, educate and administrate, the former district supervisor said Tuesday.

Since March the division has cut 22 of its 80 positions statewide, leaving the Southeast branch with no administrative help or office space, no district supervisor position and only four agents to investigate, inspect, license and educate 18 counties, said Don Pickard, the former district supervisor.

Pickard decided to take a demotion Monday in order to continue working for the Southeast Division.

The staff that remains will report to the St. Louis branch, but will be working out of their homes in Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville, Farmington and Poplar Bluff, Pickard said.

Legislative cuts

Approved by the Missouri Legislature and signed by Gov. Bill Holden, the division's funding was reduced from $3.5 million to $2.6 million, for the next fiscal year that begins July 1. Despite reductions in staffing from eight to four employees in the Southeast area, the agents must continue to visit about 1,000 licensed establishments at least once a year, Pickard said.

Along with the Cape Girardeau division office, Jefferson City, Kirksville and Springfield have also been closed, effective Monday, leaving district offices in Kansas City and St. Louis and the central office in Jefferson City.

The cuts are likely to reduce the agency's ability to enforce the alcohol laws, Pickard said.

"We simply can't have as many agents out on the streets," he said. "They're going to be busier doing administrative work, like processing applications."

From March 15, when the first wave of layoffs began, through May 15, the division's number of alcohol violations in Southeast Missouri were down by half compared to the same time period in 2002, Pickard said.

The result of the employees working out of their home, instead of a central office, may be slower processing of applications and poor communication with the public, Pickard said.

"When we had a secretary and office space we could complete the application process for liquor licenses in about 14 days and there was someone to answer phones," said Pickard. "Now we're looking at around 30 days and only agents to field questions when they are not out on the street."

Up to this point, the division has been a great help in enforcing alcohol laws at Breakaway's Bar and Billiards, owner Sean Williams said.

But with the cuts inevitable, Williams can only guess who will pick up the slack.

"Now it sounds like we're going to have to rely more on our own enforcement," Williams said. "We definitely don't approve of the cuts."

Undercover undercut

Pickard also suspects the division will have a more difficult time doing undercover work in the bars that underage drinkers frequent.

The agents still working for the Liquor Control are much older than the people that make up the Cape Girardeau bar scene, he said.

In addition, local bar and liquor store owners know the agents still working in the Southeast region, which adds to the problem of undercover enforcement.

"Everyone knows the people who are still on with us," Pickard said. "It really makes them ineffective when it comes to actually enforcing the law."

A longtime partnership between Southeast Missouri State University and the liquor control office also may be jeopardized because of the cuts, Pickard said.

"The division of liquor has been a tremendous asset to us with the help of investigations and education," said Doug Richards, director of public safety at the university. "Now we're going to have to try to make up for the lack of resources."

The division, which is responsible for educating bar employees on how to recognize fake identification, is also going to have to cut back its educational classes.

"We don't have enough manpower to visit every bar and teach them how to spot fake IDs," Pickard said. "I hope this isn't the beginning of the end for us."

bchapman@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126