The Ravens and Orioles stadiums haven't undergone a liquor board inspection in years, records show. The Royal Farms Arena? Not since 2013. And at Baltimore's Horseshoe Casino — home of the city's only 24-7 liquor license — officials have yet to conduct an unannounced inspection.
The liquor board says that's about to change.
"They're all going to be hit," said Thomas Ward, chairman of the liquor board, who's been on the job less than a year. "I've been very unhappy about enforcement. I've had a long talk with everyone about it."
Officials at Baltimore's liquor board are pledging more consistent treatment of establishments that sell alcoholic beverages after acknowledging that some large venues have not been subject to the unannounced inspections that smaller bars and restaurants routinely undergo.
Michelle Bailey-Hedgepeth, the agency's new director, said she is working on a plan to inspect all city establishments —big and small — at least four times a year.
With eight full-time inspectors and 1,300 licensees to inspect quarterly, agency officials said, inspections were often done ad hoc and not on a regular basis. Such inconsistency was exacerbated by paper-only record-keeping, which made it difficult to track when establishments had last been inspected, Bailey-Hedgepeth said. The liquor board is moving toward a computerized system.
The result has been an uneven record of enforcement. For instance, the Horseshoe Casino has yet to receive an unannounced inspection despite having been operating since August. In contrast, Power Plant Live is sometimes inspected six or more times a year, records show. M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards haven't been inspected since 2010, records show.
Disparate treatment of licensees was highlighted in a critical state audit of the liquor board, which prompted a shake-up and state legislation promising reform after its release in 2013.
Ninety-six licensees were inspected eight or more times over a 12-month period in 2010 and 2011, whereas 202 licensees weren't inspected during that time, the auditors found. The liquor board had no automated system to track inspections performed, outcomes of those inspections, and any related disciplinary actions taken, the audit found.
"It's something that's slipped through the cracks," Bailey-Hedgepeth said of some inspections. "It's a mess, but we're working to make it less of a mess."
Bailey-Hedgepeth acknowledged that the city's new chief liquor inspector, Shelton Jones Jr., a former Baltimore police officer, recently ordered liquor board inspectors to stay away from certain venues, including the casino. She said the directive was part of an effort to make the agency more professional, not protect certain institutions.
"We're looking at our whole inspection process right now," she said. "We want to have a very coordinated way for how investigations will be handled."
She also said several liquor board inspectors have been shifted to different parts of the city, and are now required to inspect bars at night instead of during the day. Jones, who has experience working vice crimes as a police officer, will handle many of the highest-profile inspections himself, she said.
Bailey-Hedgepeth said Jones met with casino officials in December to inspect the facility. She said unannounced inspections would take place in the near future.
Casino officials said they welcome inspections by the liquor board and stressed that the facility has its own security operations and pays professional law enforcement to police it. Officials also noted that people under 21 years old are barred from entering the casino.
"We employ a team of highly trained security professionals who are posted throughout the facility at all times, including at each of the casino's entrances to check identification cards," the statement read.
Casino officials also said the facility operates under the oversight of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. "We certainly welcome inspections by members of the liquor board at any time as a means of complementing the important work gaming regulators perform at the casino on a daily basis," they said in the statement.
Police have made about 50 arrests at the casino since it opened in August of last year. None of the arrests were related to liquor board violations or forwarded to the board, city officials said.
The company that operates the Royal Farms Arena didn't respond to a request for comment.
The Ravens declined to comment. The Orioles said they were looking into the matter.
Both sports organizations pay Baltimore police overtime to patrol inside their stadiums, and both have holding cells for fans who get in fights or break other laws.
Brian McComas, president of the Federal Hill Hospitality Association, which represents 20 establishments with liquor licenses, said it's not unusual for bars in Federal Hill to be inspected monthly. He said many licensees believe it's unfair that the casino has the only 24-hour liquor license.
"It was viewed by many as preferential treatment, and now it is extremely disappointing to learn that there is evidence the favorable treatment has been extended quite a bit further," he said.
City Councilman Ed Reisinger, who represents Southwest Baltimore, said it's unfair the casino hasn't been subject to regular inspections when other venues have been.
"I support the casino, but they're not above the law," he said. "The casino should be under the same microscope as every other establishment, whether it's a bar or private entertainment."
State Sen. Bill Ferguson, who represents the city, called the lack of inspections at the casino and other venues "problematic." He suggested a "tiered approach" in which establishments with a history of violations get inspected more.
"Those operators that have proven to be good year after year after year, it would make sense they have less inspections," he said.
Liquor inspectors are supposed to conduct periodic inspections of businesses licensed to sell alcoholic beverages in Baltimore. Such inspections review whether licenses are valid, bathrooms are clean, signs are proper and patrons are 21 or older.
Inspectors are also supposed to respond to complaints that come in from the city's 311 system. The board assigns its inspectors to seven districts based on geographical boundaries.
Liquor board inspections can be triggered for a variety of reasons, including arrests at the premises.
Under Ward, the liquor board has gained a reputation for cracking down on bars it deems problematic, increasing violations and closures. On Thursday, the board issued its toughest penalty yet when it suspended for 104 days the license of Favorite's Pub — a regular venue for Loyola University students known as "Craig's" — for allegedly serving alcohol to more than 100 underage patrons.
Ward said he believes his job is to ensure every establishment is inspected.
"The reason we exist is to enforce the liquor licenses," Ward said. "I want action, and we're going to get it."
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