About ALE

Headquarters Address

Physical- 525 N. Greenfield Parkway, Suite 140
             Garner, NC 27529     

Mailing- 4233 Mail Service Center
            Raleigh, NC 27699-4233

Gaming

Special Agent in Charge Chris Poole
120 Baker Road
Archdale, NC 27263    919-418-9956

To file a Complaint or send a Commendation

4233 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4233
www.ncdps.gov/ale

Bryan House, Director
Israel Morrow, Assistant Director for Operations
Angela Hayes, Assistant Director for Administration

District I - Jacksonville

Serving Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico and Pender counties.

Special Agent in Charge Reece Wilkerson
200 Williamsburg Parkway, Unit 1
Jacksonville, NC 28456      910-939-6167  |  910-219-0442 fax

District II - Greenville

Serving Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Wayne, Wilson and Washington counties.

Special Agent in Charge Gary Young
4660 North Creek Drive, Suite 110
Greenville, NC 27834     252-347-0578 |  252-561-7218 fax

District III - Hope Mills

Serving Bladen, Cumberland, Hoke, Lee, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland counties.

Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Miller
3800 S. Main Street
Hope Mills, NC 28348      910-778-5732  |  910-425-0235 fax

District IV - Garner

Serving Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Orange, Person, Warren, Vance and Wake counties.

Special Agent in Charge Jack Cates
505 N. Greenfield Parkway, Suite 130
Garner, NC 27529     919-779-8188  |  919-779-8139 fax

District V - Greensboro

Serving Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham and Stokes counties.

Special Agent in Charge Mike Klingenschmidt
10-B Wendy Ct.
Greensboro, NC 27409      336-303-4887  |  336-256-1360 fax

District VI - Harrisburg

Serving Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties.

Special Agent in Charge Daniel Huthmacher
5994 Caldwell Park Drive
Harrisburg, NC 28075     980-781-3031  |  704-454-5376 fax
 

District VII - Conover

Serving Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties.

Special Agent in Charge Chess McQueen
301 10th St. NW, Suite E102
Conover, NC 28613     828-330-4318  |  828-466-5677 fax

District VIII - Asheville

Serving Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey counties.

Special Agent in Charge Web Corthell
300 Ridgefield Court, Suite 302
Asheville, NC 28806    828-670-5055  |  828-654-7332 fax

History of ALE

In 1909, North Carolina became the first state in the South to ban the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages. A nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages began in 1920. Prohibition resulted in moonshining and rampant crime and corruption throughout the United States. Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

Because alcohol enforcement varied greatly from one jurisdiction to the next, the NC General Assembly created the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission in 1937, and statewide ABC enforcement as an arm of the state was created in 1949.

Initially, this enforcement included beer and wine inspectors with regulatory responsibilities and limited enforcement authority. Inspectors were in plain clothes to work ABC outlets and track down illegal liquor stills across the state. 

In 1964, ABC enforcement inspectors became state ABC officers with full arrest powers for alcohol-related crimes.  Brown-bagging laws also went into effect about this time and state ABC officers transitioned to a full uniform for work. Complaints from business owners resulted in officers returning to plain clothes attire circa 1966.

Due to the variety and severity of crimes occurring at alcohol establishments, the N.C. General Assembly gave ABC officers full powers of arrest in 1971. State ABC officers were now re-sworn and issued new badges.

In 1977, the NC General Assembly created the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety and the ABC enforcement arm of ABC was transferred and named the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division.  ALE jurisdiction and authority was changed to include primary enforcement of alcohol and drug laws.  The officers were re-sworn as NC Alcohol Law Enforcement agents. John Brooks was the first director of Alcohol Law Enforcement.

ALE agents attended the NC Highway Patrol Academy from 1977 to 1979 before starting their own academy in 1980. In 1978, liquor-by-the-drink was approved in North Carolina and in 1986, the legal drinking age was raised from 19 to 21.

ALE received 13 new agents in 1994, the first manpower increase in 22 years. The total number of agents overseeing 15,000 ABC-licensed establishments was 117. The number of agents has been reduced to 108 while the number of ABC establishments has grown to over 18,000 outlets.

In 2014, ALE was moved under the NC State Bureau of Investigation as a branch agency; however, was reassigned as a Division within the Department of Public Safety in 2019.

ALE Timeline   

     1920    Prohibition and moonshining resulted in rampant crime and                           corruption
     1933    Congress repealed prohibition, but enforcement was fragmented                   and varied greatly by county
     1937    North Carolina Legislature created State ABC Commission
     1949   Statewide ABC Enforcement Division created
     1971    ABC officers are given full powers of arrest
     1977    Crime Control and Public Safety formed; ALE created from ABC                     Enforcement
     1978    Liquor-by-the-drink approved in North Carolina
     1986    Legal drinking age raised to 21
     1994    First ALE manpower increase since 1972 (13 agents) 
     2014    ALE transferred to the State Bureau of Investigation
     2019    ALE transferred to the Department of Public Safety

ALE Programs

Alcohol Law Enforcement began a number of programs, from offering training to ABC businesses to closing down nuisance properties. ALE started the Be A Responsible Seller/Server (BARS) training program. BARS is an educational program offered to licensed ABC and NC Education Lottery permit holders and their employees. The BARS training began in the early 1980s and educates employees on topics such as how to identify underage and intoxicated people, how to properly check IDs, and how to tactfully refuse sales and service to intoxicated individuals. ALE conducts more than 500 BARS programs annually.

In 1994, ALE created the Nuisance Abatement Team to use civil statutes to abate properties that were sources of chronic criminal activity in communities. ALE partners with local law enforcement agencies to remove illegal shot houses, drug houses, and other illegal activities that are a detriment to the neighborhoods.

The Keys to Life program started in October 2001. This program is aimed at high school and college students to increase their awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol, particularly during the prom and graduation seasons.