Supervisor Don Knabe announced today the acceptance of a grant award from the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) that will pay for alcohol abuse and prevention programs that will be run by the Sheriff’s Department.

The State ABC grant to the Sheriff’s Department is in the amount of $317,830, and will be divided among the Lakewood, Lancaster, and Norwalk Sheriff’s Stations. The program, now in its fourth year at the Lakewood Station and in its first year at the Norwalk Station, will use trained Sheriff’s Deputies to identify and target problem businesses that are taking part in criminal activity, such as underage sales, and will work with ABC to deliver sanctions, if necessary.

The primary focus of the Alcohol and Beverage Control Program is to decrease the number of alcohol related offenses and DUI arrests made in Lakewood, Norwalk, and their surrounding cities.