Should Algonquin continue with state liquor inspection program?

Algonquin police have been participating in a state pilot program that allows officers to conduct more thorough liquor compliance checks villagewide.

The Illinois Liquor Control Commission's LC-13 program offers training and financial assistance to local governments for properly inspecting liquor license holders in their communities.

Four Algonquin police officers went through the training and conducted their first round of the state-required checks after the village implemented the program earlier this year, Chief John Bucci said. The village board is expected to decide next week whether to extend its contract with the state through June 2018.

Algonquin has about a dozen officers who routinely check establishments with liquor and video gaming licenses to ensure they are complying with village ordinances, Bucci said. After attending a conference last fall, however, two members of the department proposed taking their enforcement efforts a step further with the LC-13 program.

"We're very proactive, and we want to make sure that our businesses are successful," Bucci said. "We feel that the best way to do that is to educate them by being in there, talking to them and getting to know them."

Officers are still on the lookout for violations such as underage drink sales and improper alcohol certifications, Bucci said. However, the state program also requires them to focus on issues of health and sanitation, insurance verification and deceptive advertising, said Terry Horstman, spokesman for the state's liquor control commission.

Once an annual check is complete, the municipality sends an inspection report to the state for processing.

"This pilot program eliminates the redundancy that exists between the state and local municipalities," he said.

The LC-13 program includes police officers, firefighters, health inspectors and code enforcement specialists from about 50 communities statewide, Horstman said, including Morton Grove, Oak Lawn and Naperville - the program's first pilot city.

Participating municipalities are given $75 per liquor licenses each year, Horstman said, noting communities have to front the cost if they choose to inspect establishments more than once.

The state's reimbursement supports the cost of the program in Algonquin, Bucci said, pointing to additional manpower and overtime hours. Officers conducted 76 inspections in May and June.

In Naperville, 12 members of the fire department were able to inspect every establishment in the city within the program's first year, said Deputy City Attorney Kavita Athanikar. The state was previously able to inspect fewer than half, she said.

"The fire department is already tasked with doing a general inspection of every establishment, so the liquor piece was added to the team that is already there and knows what to look for in the inspections," Athanikar said.