As college students begin returning for school, the Fairfax County Police, Premium Distributors of Virginia, Heineken USA and state delegates are teaming up to offer Fairfax County retailers another tool in the fight against underage access to alcohol.
The community partnership provides licensed retailers with a “Responsibility Toolkit” including a small device to assist in the process of checking proper patron identification and a poster that reminds both those serving alcohol, as well as customers, that the retailers check IDs.
“This program fits perfectly with our Alcohol Awareness & Education programs within Fairfax County as it engages a number of different perspectives toward one common goal-preventing underage drinking,” said Captain Susan Culin, commander of the traffic division, Fairfax County Police Department.
Beginning this week, officers will be distributing the toolkit to retailers in targeted areas and intend to distribute the device widely through the County throughout the month.
“We are committed and proud to contribute toward the betterment of the community in which we live and do business and have served for years. We take seriously our role in marketing and selling beer responsibly. This program is a natural fit with retailer, brewer and community relationships,” said John Zeltner, president of Premium Distributors of Virginia.
Premium Distributors’ drivers and sales persons will reinforce the message with retailers on their sales calls throughout the month.
A number of Virginia state representatives were at the forefront of building this program including; Delegates David Bulova, Chuck Caputo, Speaker of the House Bill Howell and Senator Mark Herring who helped guide the initiative and continue to support the message and outreach.
This initiative also is being supported by brewer Heineken USA. “Heineken USA prides itself on being a responsible corporate and community citizen,” said Dan Tearno, chief corporate relations officer for Heineken USA. “This program is a tangible demonstration of our dedication to the communities where we live and work and our commitment to help eliminate underage access to alcohol.”
