Inside the Work of NLLEA
Advancing Alcohol Law Enforcement Through Collaboration, Leadership, and Innovation
The National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA) is widely known for bringing together alcohol law enforcement professionals from across the country but what many outside the organization may not realize is just how much work happens year-round behind the scenes to advance the profession, support agencies, and strengthen public safety.
At the heart of that work are NLLEA’s committees, leadership forums, and special projects each driven by members who volunteer their time and expertise to move the mission forward.
Professional Development Committee
Building the Future of Alcohol Law Enforcement
Where training, standards, and the future of the profession come together.
The Professional Development Committee is one of NLLEA’s most active and impactful groups. This committee focuses on identifying training gaps, developing new educational programs, and ensuring that alcohol regulatory enforcement professionals have access to relevant, high-quality instruction.
From shaping national conference programming to supporting major initiatives like the Alcohol Compliance Training (ACT) program developed in partnership with NABCA, this committee plays a critical role in modernizing and professionalizing alcohol law enforcement training nationwide.
Why It Matters to Agencies
✔ Better-prepared officers
✔ More consistent enforcement practices
✔ Stronger public trust
✔ Training that reflects today’s real-world challenges
Chiefs and Directors Meetings
A National Leadership Table
A trusted forum for the leaders shaping alcohol enforcement nationwide.
NLLEA’s Chiefs and Directors Meetings provide a unique and much-needed space for agency leaders to connect, collaborate, and problem-solve. These meetings bring together decision-makers from state, local, and tribal agencies to discuss emerging trends, legal challenges, staffing issues, and policy concerns affecting alcohol regulation and public safety.
Just as importantly, these meetings build lasting professional relationships that extend far beyond the meeting room.
What Chiefs & Directors Gain
• Peer-to-peer problem solving
• Early insight into national trends
• Shared solutions to common challenges
• A confidential, trusted leadership network
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Christopher Temple, Supervising Special Investigator, Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission |
Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Committee
Working Ahead of the Curve
Focused on one of the fastest-changing areas in alcohol regulation.
As shipping, e-commerce, and alternative alcohol products continue to evolve, the Direct-to-Consumer Committee focuses on one of the most complex and rapidly changing areas of alcohol regulation today.
This committee tracks trends, shares intelligence, examines enforcement models, and helps agencies prepare for the future of DTC shipping and compliance rather than reacting after problems arise.
Key Focus Areas
• DTC shipping compliance
• E-commerce enforcement challenges
• Emerging product categories
• Regulatory consistency across states
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Special Projects
Turning Ideas into Action
Where innovation meets real-world enforcement needs.
In addition to standing committees, NLLEA regularly forms project-based working groups to address emerging issues, pilot new initiatives, and respond to shifts in the alcohol marketplace and enforcement environment.
These projects such as national training frameworks, improved information-sharing tools, and cross-agency initiatives allow NLLEA to stay agile, relevant, and forward-focused.
“Some of NLLEA’s most important work starts as a simple idea and becomes a national solution.”
NLLEA Awards Program
Recognizing Excellence. Elevating the Profession.
Honoring the agencies and individuals setting the national standard.
An essential part of NLLEA’s mission is not only advancing alcohol law enforcement but recognizing the exceptional work being done across the country. The NLLEA Awards Program does exactly that by shining a national spotlight on agencies, officers, and programs that demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation, and service.
Each year, these awards highlight the very best of the profession and share success stories that can inspire and inform agencies nationwide.
The awards are presented at the NLLEA Annual Conference and represent peer recognition from professionals who understand the complexity and impact of this work.
NLLEA Annual Award Categories
🏆Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency of the Year - Recognizes an agency that demonstrates exceptional leadership, performance, and impact in alcohol law enforcement and public safety.
👮Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent of the Year - Honors an individual officer or investigator whose dedication, professionalism, and achievements exemplify the highest standards of the profession.
💡Innovative Alcohol Law Enforcement Program of the Year - Recognizes a creative, forward-thinking program or initiative that improves enforcement effectiveness, compliance, or public safety.
🤝John W. Britt Community Service Award - Honors outstanding commitment to community service and public outreach, recognizing efforts that strengthen trust and partnerships between agencies and the communities they serve.
🎖Meritorious Service Award - Recognizes sustained, exemplary service and significant contributions to alcohol law enforcement and to NLLEA’s mission.
These awards do more than celebrate success they create a national platform for sharing best practices, innovative ideas, and proven strategies that other agencies can adapt and build upon.
“Every award tells a story, and those stories help move the entire profession forward.”
 (l-r) Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco was selected for this year's Innovative Alcohol Law Enforcement Program of the Year Award. |
Why This Matters
By highlighting excellence, the NLLEA Awards Program:
• Reinforces professional standards and pride
• Encourages innovation and leadership
• Shares replicable success stories nationwide
• Recognizes the often-unseen impact of alcohol law enforcement
• Strengthens morale and agency culture
Why This Matters to Agencies Not Yet Involved
More than membership. More than meetings. A working network.
For agencies and professionals not yet engaged with NLLEA, what may be most surprising is that the association is not just a conference or a membership list, it is an active, working network of practitioners shaping the future of alcohol law enforcement.
“NLLEA is where the profession comes together to solve problems before they become crises.”
What Membership Provides
✔ Access to national expertise
✔ A voice in shaping training and best practices
✔ Leadership development opportunities
✔ Early awareness of emerging challenges
✔ A seat at the table on national initiatives
A Mission Powered by Members
Most importantly, NLLEA is built by and for the professionals doing this work every day. Its committees, meetings, and projects exist because members step forward to contribute their experience, knowledge, and leadership.
As alcohol regulation continues to grow more complex, the work being done inside NLLEA has never been more important and the door is always open for new agencies and professionals to be part of that mission.
“The strength of NLLEA isn’t in its structure it’s in its people.”
ABOUT NLLEA
 Founding NLLEA Members(left to right standing) Tom Parker (NC), Dennis Theoharis (MD), John Shimko (PA), John Britt (NC), Richard Evans Sr. (OR), David Goyette (WA), Don Murray (NC), Robert L. Garian (VA), \James Longerbone (OH), Ray Little (VA), Michael Reed (OR), Jimmy Sullivan (MS), James Mahoney (MD), John Wright (VA), Chris Curtis (VA), Richard White Sr. (VA) (left to right kneeling) Bill Patterson (NC), Randy Martin (MI), Holly Pomelow (ME), Diane Bumgardner (NC), and Roger Rosendale (MI) missing from photo-John S. Martin (ME) |
National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA) was established to create a national forum for leaders in alcohol beverage control and liquor law enforcement to collaborate, share expertise, and strengthen enforcement efforts nationwide. What began as a small, dedicated organization of alcohol enforcement directors meeting annually to address common challenges and provide foundational training for officers new to Alcohol Regulatory Enforcement (ARE) has grown into a respected national association representing a broad cross-section of federal, state, tribal, and local agencies. NLLEA’s formation was rooted in the recognition that alcohol regulation plays a critical role in public safety, and its rich history reflects decades of leadership, professionalism, and commitment to advancing effective and consistent alcohol law enforcement across the country.
What is now known as the NLLEA began in 1987 with a meeting and conference then referred to as the Control States ABC Conference. Held in North Carolina, the inaugural gathering brought together participants from 10 states, laying the groundwork for a national organization focused on alcohol law enforcement. The first official annual meeting and conference under the NLLEA name took place in 1988 in Maine, where members formally adopted the Association’s constitution and by-laws. The momentum continued in 1989 with the second annual meeting and conference in South Carolina, the same year NLLEA was formally incorporated, solidifying its role as a national leader in alcohol regulatory enforcement collaboration and professional development.
 First NLLEA Officers 1988-89(left to right) David Goyette (WA), Vice President, John S. Martin (ME), President, and Jimmy Sullivan (MS), Secretary-Treasurer |
Today, NLLEA is governed by an elected Board and is recognized as a national leader in advancing the professionalism, effectiveness, and visibility of alcohol law enforcement as a critical component of public safety. Members benefit from real-time information sharing, research and policy resources, professional development opportunities, and an annual conference that brings together more than 250 enforcement, association, and public health professionals from across the country.
While the NLLEA was founded in 1987, for the first 15 years, it was primarily an organization comprised of the directors of alcohol beverage control enforcement agencies who met once a year for an annual conference and provided a one-week training academy for line officers new to Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE).
The NLLEA now has a more sophisticated communications system that allows for the provision of real-time information to its members on recent ALE efforts and challenges, along with a wealth of research summaries, publications, and information on liquor law enforcement on the NLLEA website.
A central tenet of the NLLEA’s mission is to elevate the standards of liquor law enforcement and foster interagency collaboration. To this end, the Association provides best practice guidance on alcohol-related laws, policies, and enforcement protocols. NLLEA advocates for robust regulatory systems that rely on fully sworn liquor control officers, professionals with the training, authority, and expertise to enforce alcohol laws through both criminal and administrative mechanisms. The Association also maintains active partnerships with national, state, and LLE bodies, alcohol research institutions, public health organizations, and responsible industry representatives to promote evidence-based practices and public safety outcomes.
 2025-26 NLLEA Executive Board(left to right) Jim Diana (DE), Immediate Past President, Kellette Mayberry (OH), Vice President, Marc Haalman (VA), President, Chris Temple (MA), Secretary/Treasurer, and Israel Morrow (NC), Sgt.-at-Arms |
Between 2001 and 2011, the NLLEA, in partnership with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), implemented a series of federally funded demonstration projects aimed at preventing impaired driving and underage drinking. These initiatives, primarily supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), involved comprehensive legal research on alcohol policies, interviews with state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agency leaders, and the development and testing of innovative enforcement strategies. Early research efforts culminated in three major NHTSA publications, which informed subsequent demonstration projects that tested specific interventions, including the enforcement of happy hour laws in Texas, the use of Place of Last Drink (POLD) data in Washington and New Hampshire, compliance checks and media advocacy in Ohio, security staff training in Denver, and case studies on source investigations and social host laws.
Following its transition to a self-sufficient nonprofit organization in 2012, NLLEA completed additional NHTSA-funded projects between 2012 and 2025. These included: the development of source investigation protocols in partnership with Indiana and Massachusetts and the creation of an accompanying online toolkit; impaired driving crackdowns in Virginia, New Hampshire, and South Carolina focused on over-service enforcement during high-risk periods; a study on State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) funding models across seven ALE agencies resulting in a practical guide; pilot projects in Iowa, Missouri, and Vermont to demonstrate the utility of POLD data; an implementation study of POLD practices in Vermont; and a pilot initiative focused on alcohol delivery compliance in Colorado, Connecticut and Louisiana.
Beyond NHTSA collaborations, NLLEA has also partnered with the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) on grants to support webinars, conference planning, and audits of direct-to-consumer alcohol shipping practices. Additionally, NLLEA has actively contributed to the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act since 2010 by analyzing enforcement policies, compiling agency protocols, advising on policy surveillance efforts, and contributing data and insights to the annual Report to Congress.
NLLEA operates under the leadership of a single full-time staff member, supported by a volunteer Board of Directors and an active Professional Development Committee. Despite its small staff size, the organization has demonstrated consistent growth, robust fiscal oversight, and a strong record of delivering impactful national training and public safety initiatives.