4-112. Powers and duties of board and director of department of liquor licenses and control; investigations; county and municipal regulation; definition

A. The board shall:

1. Grant and deny applications in accordance with the provisions of this title.

2. Adopt rules in order to carry out the provisions of this section.

3. Hear appeals and hold hearings as provided in this section.

B. Except as provided in subsection A of this section, the director shall administer the provisions of this title, including:

1. Adopting rules:

(a) For carrying out the provisions of this title.

(b) For the proper conduct of the business to be carried on under each specific type of spirituous liquor license.

(c) To enable and assist state officials and political subdivisions to collect taxes levied or imposed in connection with spirituous liquors.

(d) For the issuance and revocation of certificates of registration of retail agents, including provisions governing the shipping, storage and delivery of spirituous liquors by registered retail agents, the keeping of records and the filing of reports by registered retail agents.

(e) To establish requirements for licensees under section 4-209, subsection B, paragraph 12.

2. Subject to title 41, chapter 4, article 4, employing necessary personnel and fixing their compensation pursuant to section 38-611.

3. Keeping an index record that is a public record open to public inspection and that contains the name and address of each licensee and the name and address of any person having an interest, either legal or equitable, in each license as shown by any written document that is placed on file in the office of the board.

4. Providing the board with supplies and personnel as directed by the board.

5. Responding in writing to any law enforcement agency that submits an investigative report to the department relating to a violation of this title, setting forth what action, if any, the department has taken or intends to take on the report and, if the report lacks sufficient information or is otherwise defective for use by the department, what the agency must do to remedy the report.

6. Taking steps that are necessary to maintain effective liaison with the department of public safety and all local law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of this title including the laws of this state against the consumption of spirituous liquor by persons under the legal drinking age.

7. Providing training to law enforcement agencies in the proper investigation and reporting of violations of this title.

C. The director shall establish within the department a separate investigations unit that has as its sole responsibility the investigation of compliance with this title including the investigation of licensees alleged to have sold or distributed spirituous liquor in any form to persons under the legal drinking age.  Investigations conducted by this unit may include covert undercover investigations.

D. All employees of the department of liquor licenses and control, except members of the state liquor board and the director of the department, shall be employed by the department in the manner prescribed by the department of administration.

E. The director may enter into a contract or agreement with any public agency for any joint or cooperative action as provided for by title 11, chapter 7, article 3.

F. The board or the director may take evidence, administer oaths or affirmations, issue subpoenas requiring attendance and testimony of witnesses, cause depositions to be taken and require by subpoena duces tecum the production of books, papers and other documents that are necessary for the enforcement of this title. Proceedings held during the course of a confidential investigation are exempt from title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1.  If a person refuses to obey a subpoena or fails to answer questions as provided by this subsection, the board or the director may apply to the superior court in the manner provided in section 12-2212.  The board or director may serve subpoenas by personal service or certified mail, return receipt requested.

G. The director may:

1. Examine books, records and papers of a licensee.

2. Require applicants, licensees, employees who serve, sell or furnish spirituous liquors to retail customers, managers and managing agents to take training courses approved by the director in spirituous liquor handling and spirituous liquor laws and rules. The director shall adopt rules that set standards for approving training courses. The director may suspend or revoke the previous approval of trainers who do not adhere to course administration requirements prescribed by the department or who do not meet course standards.  If the director suspends or revokes the previous approval of a trainer pursuant to this paragraph, the trainer may appeal to the board pursuant to section 4-210.02 as if the suspension or revocation was a sanction against a licensee. After January 1, 2019, the rules for on-sale retailer basic training and on-sale retailer management training shall include security procedures for security personnel assigned to monitor admission of patrons, interaction with patrons, calls to law enforcement and strategies for use of force and for the use of de-escalation techniques. If the retailer uses a registered security guard, the retailer shall attempt to verify the validity and status of the security guard's registration certificate.  The department's licensed investigators may participate and receive compensation as lecturers at approved training courses within this state's jurisdiction that are conducted by other entities but shall not participate in in-house training programs for licensees.

3. Delegate to employees of the department authority to exercise powers of the director in order to administer the department.

4. Regulate signs that advertise a spirituous liquor product at licensed retail premises.

5. Cause to be removed from the marketplace spirituous liquor that may be contaminated.

6. Regulate the age and conduct of erotic entertainers at licensed premises. The age limitation governing these erotic entertainers may be different from other employees of the licensee.

7. Issue and enforce cease and desist orders against any person or entity that sells beer, wine or spirituous liquor without an appropriate license or permit.

8. Confiscate wines carrying a label including a reference to Arizona or any Arizona city, town or place unless at least seventy-five percent by volume of the grapes used in making the wine were grown in this state.

9. Accept and expend private grants of monies, gifts and devises for conducting educational programs for parents and students on the repercussions of underage alcohol consumption. State general fund monies shall not be expended for the purposes of this paragraph. If the director does not receive sufficient monies from private sources to carry out the purposes of this paragraph, the director shall not provide the educational programs prescribed in this paragraph. Grant monies received pursuant to this paragraph are nonlapsing and do not revert to the state general fund at the close of the fiscal year.

10. Procure fingerprint scanning equipment and provide fingerprint services to license applicants and licensees.  The department may charge a fee for providing these services.

11. Accept electronic signatures on all department and licensee forms and documents and applications.  The director may adopt requirements that would require facsimile signatures to be followed by original signatures within a specified time period.

12. For use after January 1, 2019, adopt a form that is required to be used by all on-sale retailers that hire or designate employees to serve as security personnel. All security personnel job applicants and employees for on-sale retailers shall complete the form, which shall be notarized, before assignment to a security role.  The form shall require the applicant or other person to disclose whether in the previous five years the person has been a registered sex offender or pled guilty, pled no contest or been convicted of any offense that constitutes assault, homicide, domestic violence, sexual misconduct, misconduct involving a deadly weapon or a drug violation that constitutes the illegal sale, manufacturing, cultivation or transportation for sale of marijuana, a dangerous drug or a narcotic drug. A licensee may not hire or assign to a role as security personnel any person who fails to complete the form or if the form discloses one of the listed offenses within the previous five years.  The licensee shall maintain on file affidavits of all security personnel hired or designated by the licensee. The form may not be required for a peace officer who is certified by the Arizona peace officer standards and training board or other security personnel who hold a current security guard registration certificate or armed security guard registration certificate issued pursuant to title 32, chapter 26.

H. A county or municipality may enact and enforce ordinances regulating the age and conduct of erotic entertainers at licensed premises in a manner at least as restrictive as rules adopted by the director.

I. For the purposes of this section, "security personnel" includes individuals whose primary assigned responsibilities include the security and safety of employees and patrons of an on-sale retailer premises.  Security personnel does not include a person whose primary responsibilities include checking the identification cards of patrons to determine compliance with age requirements.