End ALE this year: With the size of the de?cit, the time is right to ?eliminate one of NC’s despicable agencies

There’s a little bit of fear in the heart of every underage drinker. We all know it’s illegal, but most of us have done it. And in the wake of the state’s budget crisis, rumors have been swirling that legislators might cut some or all funding to Alcohol Law Enforcement.

Republican leaders’ most recent announcement was that they would only cut the program’s budget by up to 8 percent. Considering the state budget situation, and the subversive role ALE plays in society, we think 8 percent isn’t even enough.

This might be the last time for several years that the fiscal climate makes cutting ALE politically feasible. And we want to make the case for why it should be cut.

Budget negotiations are still evolving. There is still an opportunity for legislators to drastically reform, or preferably eliminate, an agency that relies on secrecy and coercion to convict young people of generally victimless crimes. What’s required is the political will.

ALE was created in 1977 to enforce the state’s ABC laws. The agency’s role has since been expanded to include enforcement of lottery, gambling and tobacco laws as well. But alcohol enforcement remains its primary mission. More than 60 percent of ALE’s 2010 arrests were alcohol-related.

At a time when the state is cutting funding from beneficial programs like Governor’s School and higher education — which it is constitutionally obligated to support — it makes sense to reevaluate ALE’s role.

Let’s be clear: There is nothing wrong with enforcing the state’s liquor laws. But ALE’s methods border on entrapment. ALE’s 112 special agents statewide sometimes use police officers’ children to try and catch retailers selling alcohol and tobacco to people who are underage.

ALE tactics such as covert surveillance in bars and handing out drinking tickets may be legal, but at a cost of creating a culture of fear among students. Students who drink underage are committing a crime, but usually they aren’t harming anyone at all — including themselves.

Drinking laws should be enforced, but current strategies can make students fear law enforcement rather than respect it.

Also, there is reason to doubt that ALE’s efforts have reduced underage consumption. The number of alcohol citations issued by ALE has in fact increased — nearly 50 percent between 2000 and 2009. The whole process seems more effective as a jobs program for attorneys.

Most of ALE’s duties might be better performed by members of local law enforcement who have a better grasp on local issues. But many of the agency’s methods, and really the agency itself, should be abandoned entirely.