Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services Wins National Award for Its Loss Prevention Program for Second Consecutive Year

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Montgomery County's Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) has received the "Best Enforcement Program" award for the second consecutive year from national trade magazine StateWays for its loss prevention program that reduces theft, fraud and operational errors. The program preserves profits that are then used for County programs. It is one of the publication's nine annual Best Practices awards.

The StateWays Best Practices Award will be presented to ABS at a ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's Administrators Conference in Missoula, MT.

The StateWays magazine feature story announcing this year's winners said, "Now in its second year, the Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services Inventory Control and Loss Prevention Unit has already paid dividends maximizing profits while minimizing risk and loss. . . . Combining a people-first approach with enhanced technical tools, the program has increased controls, standardized procedures, improved operating efficiency and implemented investigatory oversight."

Read the StateWays article at https://read.epgmediallc.com/sw24fall-digital/0794917001726683131.

"I'm pleased that our Alcohol Beverage Services has been nationally recognized as an industry leader for their innovative approach to loss prevention," said County Executive Marc Elrich. "Their efforts not only protect public resources but also demonstrate a strong commitment to accountability and operational excellence. This award highlights the important role ABS plays in supporting County programs, and it's a great example of how we can continuously improve ABS services to our community."

The department's loss prevention enhancements include additional routine audits, improved data collection and analysis, and a new online dashboard showing key metrics by location and district. Last October, ABS deployed a new point-of-sale system in its retail stores that more precisely accounts for inventory and product sales. This data has helped to raise awareness and preparedness among retail employees.

The program's partnership with law enforcement has contributed to more timely arrests and prosecutions for repeat shoplifting and large-scale thefts. The team has recovered approximately $15,000 through court-ordered restitution and has an additional $26,000 in restitution pending.

StateWays is the only magazine devoted to issues affecting alcohol control state systems. It features articles that reflect many aspects of the control states' mission of fiscal performance, promotion of responsible consumption, enforcement, retail sales and warehouse operations.

The Best Practices Awards program was launched in 2015 to recognize control state agencies that are leading the industry in innovation, education and enforcement. Any beverage control agency from the U.S. and Canada is eligible to enter the awards, which are presented in eight categories with one standout selected as the overall winner and serving as a model for other agencies allow.

"Understanding that an effective inventory control and loss prevention program depends on our front-line employees, we are focused on creating an environment of trust and communication," said ABS Director Kathie Durbin. "This program empowers employees to help ensure a culture of safety in the community and accountability to the residents we serve."

Seventeen U.S. jurisdictions and all but one province in Canada operate under a similar alcohol model as Montgomery County. They oversee the sale of distilled spirits-and in some cases wine and beer-through government agencies at the wholesale level. The model allows revenue from alcohol sales to be returned to a general fund for public services.

ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County and operates 27 retail stores throughout the County. In addition, ABS manages alcohol licensing, enforcement and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, its profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.

Follow ABS on Facebook and X, or download "Spirited Discussions: A Podcast by Alcohol Beverage Services."

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Release ID: 24-437
Media Contact: Jocelyn Rawat 202-604-7289
Categories: ABS

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