Keg law may change police work

A new state law aimed at cutting down underage drinking at large keg parties is set to take effect this summer.

Just a week after the law was officially signed by the governor, local liquor store owners are already expressing mixed feelings about the law's ability to decrease the sale and distribution of alcohol to underage patrons.

The new law aims to more tightly regulate keg rentals by requiring buyers to provide a driver's license number or similar identification.

Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George's), who sponsored the bill, said University Police came up with the idea for the new bill by bringing issues with the problematic record-keeping system to the attention of the city and the legislature.

"Right now, for police, when they go to these parties to break them down, they're seeing the keg, but they're having trouble finding the person who rented it," said Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George's), who sponsored similar legislation in the House of Delegates.

Peña-Melnyk said liquor store employees will now have to fill out the entire keg rental form, as opposed to the current system in which the employee fills out the top half and the buyer fills out the bottom. She added that there is a history of keg renters filling out the forms illegibly, making it more difficult for police officers to figure out who is to blame when they break up large parties with underage drinkers.

"A lot of times, the people are giving incorrect or partial names, and that makes it hard for us to track down these people," said Sgt. Philip Tou with the University Police, who was a major proponent in the development of the bill.

Liquor stores are required to keep copies of the forms in a book that are available to police at any time, said an employee at College Park Liquors who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the county liquor board. However, the validity of the information recorded is not checked or run through any kind of system.

Tou said police also wanted tighter keg regulations because of the armed robberies that occurred near the campus last semester. Many criminals were targeting the area because of the large parties that occur just off the campus, he said, and the alcohol provided at many of the parties came from kegs.

"Most of these parties have kegs, because it's all the beer in one container," Tou said. "It's more economical, so a lot more people do it that way."

The parties that police have broken up in the past have had two to five kegs and up to 150 or 200 people in attendance, most of whom are underage, Tou said. He added that police once broke up a party with eight kegs.

At most college parties, a majority of the drinkers are underage. However, Tou said, the new law does not necessarily aim to cut down on underage drinking, but rather is supposed to increase the likelihood of police being able to punish those who provide alcohol to minors.

"I would think, if they noticed this, the people who are buying alcohol for underage drinkers are going to think twice," Tou said. "I think it will make things easier in terms of cracking people down."

Peña-Melnyk agreed, saying it will make policing efforts easier because "police will be able to know exactly who has the keg."

Tou and Peña-Melnyk both said the law should have no effect on liquor store sales.

"This is not targeting sales," Tou said. "If you want to buy a keg, you're going to buy a keg, assuming you're of age."

However, there seemed to be no consensus among liquor store employees in College Park regarding sales.

The College Park Liquors employee said the store has "a reputation for being strict with fake IDs." The employee agreed the new law will not have much of an effect on his store's sales.

However, a manager at Lasick's College Inn Liquors, who also asked not to be named, said people with fake IDs will be less willing to buy from liquor stores because of the new law, resulting in a potential drop in sales of kegs.

Tou called the new law "simple," adding "it serves its purpose, because our goal is to positively identify the purchasers."

"It's a combination of preventing underage drinking, being able to enforce the laws and being able to keep kids safe and healthy," Peña-Melnyk said. "As a mother, I want to be able to send my kids to college and know they'll be safe. That's what this law is helping to do for this community."

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