Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 22, 1995                   TAG: 9508230006
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS                    PAGE: WS-16   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

KEG REGISTRATION A TOOL FOR POLICE

Times have changed, and so have the keg laws.

In 1993, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board began requiring people who buy kegs to register, therefore being accountable for who drinks the beer.

ABC agents and police hoped the regulation would slow underage drinking - especially during crowded, multikeg parties where the supply of beer is limited only by the tolerance level.

Has it worked?

"I'm not real sure, but I do know it's difficult to keep up with how many cups you drink, and it's easier to track cans or bottles," said Radford Deputy Police Chief Jonny Butler.

The law has helped police in Radford and Blacksburg keep an eye out for possible violations. Stores keep a log book, with names and addresses, that police can inspect any time.

Simply because someone purchased 15 kegs of beer doesn't give police the right to bust into a party, Butler said. The registration does, however, alert police to areas they should patrol. And police can enter a party if they see some sort of illegal activity - violating noise ordinances or creating a disturbance, for example. Most likely, they'll seek out, and possibly arrest, the person who signed for those barrels of beer.

Blacksburg Sgt. Bruce Bradbery said police work closely with ABC agents.

Butler said he hasn't seen any significant decline in beer consumption or in instances of drinking and driving.

If nothing else, Bradbery and Butler said, requiring keg registration forces people to be accountable for their drinking.