The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, May 05, 1978, Image 7

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    THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1978
Page 7
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Open inspections are effective
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'ame sti tion of every person in the place.
The patrons, most of whom ap
peared to be in their teens, stopped
their pool-playing or beer-drinking
and watched as Ward strolled across
the front of the room.
He stopped in front of the rows of
pool tables and surveyed the crowd.
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Liquor law checking takes skill
By ELAINE MERRIFIELD
Don Ward was hardly incon
spicuous as he entered the pool hall
and game room. His short hair and
suit and tie commanded the atten-
“The key word is volun
tary compliance. Most
people will obey the law
if know there is someone
who will see that they
d 0 r
They, in turn, stood watching him
through the thick cloud of cigarette
smoke that hung over the room.
After a few tense moments. Ward
approached a young woman who
was drinking a beer.
“I’m with the Alcoholic Beverage
Commission,” he said, flashing his
badge. “Can I see some ID,
please?”
The girl handed him a temporary
t/v driving permit. She said she had
just turned 18 the week before and
hadn’t received her permanent
| /Tj license yet.
rvil ; He asked her when she expected
to get the license. He then looked
around one more time and walked
Ofl out.
C/ 11 Ward, who is an inspector for the
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commis
sion (TABC), was making routine in
spections of businesses that allow
on-premises consumption of al
cohol.
The pool hall does not sell beer,
but many of the young people who
come there bring beer with them.
The object of these inspections is
not so much to catch liquor law
violators, but to encourage the own
ers to police themselves, Ward ex
plained.
“The key word is voluntary com
pliance,” he said. “Most people will
obey the law if they know there is
someone who will see that they do.”
In order to achieve this voluntary
compliance, Ward usually does not
n 8, w ® |work under cover. By making his in-
v it sin spgctions while dressed in a suit, he
t a won T ets t he owners, employees and pa-
brcastf k^w that he is working in an
official capacity. He said this
female enc0 urages them to comply with the
liquor laws.
During a typical investigation,
Ward first looks to see if he can spot
anyone who is obviously a minor
consuming alcohol. Then he goes to
the bar, shows his badge and iden
tifies himself to the bartender. He
tells the bartender he is making a
routine inspection.
He then goes behind the bar and
inspects the liqour licenses to see
that they are correctly displayed.
He also looks over the liquor stock,
checking to see that the necessary
TABC stamps are on the bottles and
that these stamps have been re
moved from any empty bottles.
The stamps show that the liquor
was purchased from an authorized
source.
The owners or managers are usu
ally friendly and cooperative. Ward
knows several of them personally
and chats for a few minutes, warning
them to check for minors who might
try to purchase alcohol.
Ward said he feels that the effec
tiveness of these routine investiga
tions isn’t always immediately
visible since they are not reflected
in the records as are actual citations.
However, he said, the investiga
tions are probably just as effective as
citations in controlling liquor law
violations.
When a TABC inspector spots a
minor illegally possessing or con
suming acohol, he usually issues
him a citation. The purchase, pos-
“It’s a home problem,” he said.
“The parents can control it.”
Many of the violations by minors
occur in convenience stores, said
Ward. The kids can run in, make
their purchase and run out. They
don’t have to spend much time in
the place.
Ward inspects the convenience
stores by parking across the street
and watching for any violations. Be
cause this type of store usually has a
glass front, he is able to see inside
most of the store. The length of time
he spends watching depends on the
complaints received about the store.
Usually he stays for about five or 10
minutes.
Most of the complaints the TABC
receives are from police officers or
police reports. It occasionally re
ceives complaints from parents.
Restaurants that serve alcoholic
beverages are also somewhat of a
problem. Ward said. This is because
the waitresses tend to think in terms
of food, not alcohol. They usually
don’t stop to consider if their cus
tomer is a minor.
They Bryan office of the TABC is
district headquarters for a 14-county
area, including Brazos County.
Eight inspectors, a district super
visor and assistant district super
visor cover this area.
The inspectors work alone and
with other law enforcement officials.
Ward said he likes to work with
another inspector or partolman be
cause they can spot violations easier
when working together.
The mixed beverage
establishments tend to
be especially cooperative
because of their high cost
of investment.
Working with another officer also
makes it easier to control a poten
tially dangerous situation.
The mixed beverage establish
ments tend to be especially coopera
tive because of their high cost of in
vestment, Ward said. A license to
sell mixed drinks is $2,000 for the
first year. This amount is decreasd
by $500 each year until it reaches
$500. This is compared to a beer
license which is $25 a year.
Ward stressed the idea of volun
tary compliance and cooperation
with the owners.
“You’re better off working with
your licensees,” he said.
Ward also said he tries not to
interfere with the patrons’ enjoy
ment when he makes his inspec
tions.
“Most of the people aren’t doing
anything wrong,” he said. “We want
to inconvenience them as little as
possible.”
Play it smooth: just
pour Comfort® over
ice and have your own
rocks concert. Neat! A
great performer with
cola, 7UP, tonic, orange
juice, milk, etc., too!
Nothing’s so delicious as Southern Comforfbn-the-rocks!
SOUTHERN COMFORT CORPORATION, 100 PROOF LIQUEUR. ST LOUIS. M0 63132
The effectiveness of
these routine investiga
tions isn’t always immed
iately visible since they
are not reflected in the
records as are actual
citations.
session or consumption of alcohol by
a minor is a misdemeanor, punisha
ble by a fine of $25 to $100 for a first
offense. It is TABC policy to handle
15, 16 and 17 year-olds in this man
ner. Minors who are 14 years-old
and younger are handled through
the juvenile department.
Administrative action can be
taken against the establishment
which made the alcohol available to
the minor. This may result in a fine
or a suspension of the liquor license.
Sgt. Gene Rochen, juvenile offi
cer for the College Station Police
Department, said much of the prob
lem with minors illegally consuming
alcohol is attributable to the par
ents.
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Friday
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FOR YOUR
DISTRICT JUDGE
^Education, Experience, Qualifications
During 12 years as public servant has made
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}
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Extensive trial experience
since 1965
general practice
District Attorney-5 years; County Attorney-4
years; Assistant District Attorney Travis Co.-2
years. Assistant District Attorney Brazos Co.-
1 year.
Author legal publications
Guest lecturer
Licensed by Supreme Court of Texas —
Federal-Southern and Western Districts, 5th
Circuit, Supreme Court of United States.
L.L.B. —- J.D. University of Texas 1966
★ Dedicated Public Servant
The McDonalds have two sons, Scott, age 3, and Don,
age 7 months. Tom and his wife Caroline were married
in 1965.
While District Attorney, 152 defendants were sentenced to the Texas
Department of Corrections for a total of 1,766 years. McDonald obtained
restitution for victims of crimes in excess of $50,000.
★ Affiliations
Member of the St. Andrews Episcopal Church of Bryan and former vestryman;
Past President: Brazos County Bar Association, Environmental Action Council
of Brazos County, Bluebonnet Psychiatric Center Board of Directors; Past member
Board of Directors Boys Club of Bryan; incorporator of the Brazos County
Humane Society; legal advisor Girls Club of Brazos County; Easter Seal Society
Board; Charter member of the Bryan Breakfast Lions Club.
"Your vote and support will be greatly appreciated."
W.T.(Tom)
McDonald, jr.
FOR YOUR
DISTRICT JUDGE
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Pol. Adv. Paid for by W.T. McDonald, Treasurer, Box 445, Bryan, Tx. 77801. 4
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