work. Over the last several years, the division has switched
from paper-based files to electronic ones. "Before, the
paper files were a nightmare, just so slow and painful," said
Rogers. "Now, the electronic files are very helpful to a field
agent. They can access everything on their laptop or smart
phone. They can see all the pictures of every location of a
chain. Or if a chain's location sells to a minor in
Birmingham, the officer in Mobile will know it."
Still Cutting Costs
T
he state of Alabama, like many, is looking for ways to
cut expenditures, such as with its hiring freeze, which
has been in place for about three years. "So, there's been
no hiring but meanwhile crime goes up," said Rogers.
"Crime's like a virus. The minute you back off, it can run
out from under you."
One of the cost-cutting proposals currently being
studied by a government task force is to consolidate law
enforcement in the state into one agency. Although
there's not yet a specific proposal to study, Rogers said
such a streamlining might not be a bad idea, since it
would involve cross-training officers. As it is now, each
law-enforcement agency has a specialty, such as fish &
game or the highway patrol.
"The trend now, in every state, is to do more with
less," he explained. "If we don't have enough officers, but
everyone is cross-trained, we can be more efficient. If a
state fire marshall stops to fill up his car, why can't he do
a tobacco inspection of the store?" Likewise, on a holiday
weekend, police officers of all types might work traffic.
As the chief of a law enforcement agency, Rogers is
on a committee, of "subject-matter experts," along with
the chiefs of all the other law enforcement agencies, to
come up with ways this might work. "The last thing we
want is for special interest groups or academics to tell us
how it's going to be," he said. "As subject-matter experts,
we deal with the real world."
No matter how law enforcement organizes itself,
Rogers said he knows one thing for certain. "Alcohol
enforcement is not going to go away. My letterhead may
change, but even if alcohol sales are privatized, there's
still going to be a need, if not more of a need, to enforce
these laws."
William Thigpen, assistant administrator, summed
up the Alabama ABC. "There are a lot of different control state models," he said. "I think ours is the best, most
efficient one. And the ABC is in good shape. The attitude is, we're operating a business, we have a modern
warehouse and our employees really know their stuff.
SW
We couldn't be more pleased."
CI1301
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StateWays I www.stateways.com I January/February 2013
