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LCB-Enforcement Officers |
members
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MARCH 2007
WPEA
Proves Mis-conduct Claim Had No Merit
On December 15, 2006, a Liquor Control Board
Liquor Enforcement Officer (LEO) received notice of a
Laudermill hearing threatening discipline “up to and
including dismissal.” Evidently a complaint had been filed
against the officer, resulting in charges that:
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The LEO failed to introduce ones-self as
a Liquor Enforcement Officer in a timely manner.
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The LEO’s demeanor made the complainant
uncomfortable.
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The LEO provided a false pretext for the
visit, claiming there had been a complaint against the
establishment for dispensing alcohol.
The notice of possible discipline also stated
that the Officer had provided “false information” to the
interviewing Captain during a taped investigation of the
alleged incident.
WPEA Staff Rep Linda Fryant was
present during the taped interview, and relying on her own
notes and reviewing the transcript of the interview, was
able to not only disprove the allegations but also show that
the interviewer (an alleged professional) had tried to skew
the facts. Fryant showed that the LEO was asked the same
question five different times during the interview. And,
even though the LEO had consistently answered the question
the same way each time, the “professional” investigator gave
a report that had nothing to do with the questions that were
asked.
Fryant (who had been an investigator for the
Department of Revenue for over 12 years prior to coming to
WPEA), then proceeded to do her own investigation of the
allegations against the LEO. She interviewed the
“complainant’ and found that her words had been misconstrued
or taken out of context.
At the Laudermill hearing, Fryant presented
the Director of the Liquor Control Board (and other
Administrators in attendance) with an easy to follow,
color-coded rebuttal of the charges which refuted all of the
allegations.
On February 26, 2007, the Liquor Control
Board ruled that there was no misconduct on the part of the
LEO. Director Pat Kohler further stated in her letter
that no disciplinary action would be taken, however,
suggesting that the LEO in question, who is a tall and
imposing individual, take some training so the LEO could be
sure they did not frighten members of the public.
Our member was quite happy with the result
and has promised that, in the future, they will try to be
shorter.
JANUARY 2007
LCB-LEO Members Honored for Teamwork Incentive Program
WPEA members from the Liquor Control Board
Enforcement Officers unit, Kent Williams
(left), Mark Jansen (2nd from right) and Barbara
Martinez shown above with Senior Agent at the Spokane
Enforcement Division, Justin Nordhorn, worked
together to improve the liquor licensee training. This cost
saving program was submitted to the Secretary of State’s
Productivity Board’s Teamwork Incentive Program and was
chosen to be recognized with a monetary award to the team
for their cost saving idea.
Prior to implementation, applicants were
required to complete a training from an officer of the
Liquor Control Board to receive a liquor license, which took
anywhere from 1-3 hours (not including drive time). With the
new process, applicants file a request and are sent a CD
with the appropriate training that they can complete at
their leisure. Once completed, the applicant submits a form
to the LCB acknowledging completion.
Applicants now have more attainable
information in the CD training, saving the agency over
$7,000 in training handbooks, $14,000 in trainer pay, and
over $6,500 in staff preparation time. This also saves the
license applicants time and money by allowing them to
receive training at their facility which saves them travel
and work time.
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