Anne Arundel County Countywide Initiative
Operation S.A.V.E.
(Selective Alcohol Violation Enforcement)
Over the last two months, members of the Anne Arundel County Police Department in cooperation with the Anne Arundel County Health Department and the Anne Arundel County Liquor Board participated in Operation S.A.V.E. or Selective Alcohol Violation Enforcement. Grant funding from the Anne Arundel County Health Department supported this operation. The purpose of this detail was to ensure compliance from liquor store vendors especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season is a busy time of year as many families and friends gather for holiday celebrations, but this time of year is often marred by death or injury in many alcohol-related incidents. The Police Department’s objective is to assign resources during the holiday season in an effort to prevent serious injuries or deaths due to alcohol-related incidents.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department conducted compliance checks at forty-seven (47) retail alcohol sales businesses in the county. Thirteen (13) of those businesses checked were found to be non-compliant and sold alcohol to a person under 21 years of age (28 percent). Thirty-four (34), or Seventy-two (72) percent of the retail aclohol sales businesses were compliant and did not sell alcohol to the underage person.
In addition to the numerous compliance checks that were done across the county, officers also increased surveillance and enforcement within the parking lots of liquor establishments. This phase of the operation resulted in a number of arrests and charges for alcohol possession offenses, drug offenses and warrants.
The Anne Arundel County Liquor Board is currently conducting follow-ups on the non-compliant businesses. The businesses could face potential fines and penalties that could lead to the closure of the business.
