The pandemic created a perfect storm of increased access to alcohol and decreased enforcement of alcohol laws. Coalitions and law enforcement were unable to conduct alcohol compliance checks in their communities due to “lockdown” restrictions. A need for trained law enforcement officers was apparent. A partnership was formed between the Alcohol Policy Resource Center at Prevention First and the Division of Enforcement at the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. This team has trained over 600 officers and created a youth training toolkit for officers to use with their underage compliance check volunteers. This team has also helped to shape statewide policy to address emerging alcohol trends. This workshop will share the foundations of this partnership, efforts to build law enforcement’s capacity to reduce youth access to alcohol through retail outlets, and the statewide policies needed to combat emerging issues.
Objectives:
- At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to identify strategies to reduce youth access to alcohol by using local data.
- At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to identify how to cultivate partnerships for sustainable solutions.
- At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to identify the latest alcohol products available to youth in today's market.
- At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to identify policy solutions at the local and state level.
