Danvers Police To Conduct Alcohol Compliance Checks Around Holiday

DANVERS, MA — Bars and restaurants with an alcohol license can expect a visit from the Danvers Police Department around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Police said they will be sending officers to each licensed establishment as part of underage compliance checks. Police will be looking to make sure each business is complying with all rules, policies and regulations related to the sale of alcoholic beverages, as well as ensuring that no one under the age of 21 is consuming alcohol in those establishments.

"The compliance checks are part of the town of Danvers' continued efforts to prevent problems related to underage alcohol consumption," Danvers police said, "curb alcohol abuse and reduce operating under the incidents involving teenagers."

The state's alcohol authority this week also said it will start a special holiday campaign to curb drunken driving related to people being over-served at bars and restaurants across the state.

The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission will focus its holiday enforcement on bars that sold drinks to drivers who went on to get a DUI conviction, according to the agency.

That enforcement period begins on Thanksgiving eve — a notorious drinking holiday, often called either Blackout Wednesday or Drinksgiving. The enforcement period will run through New Year's Eve, another heavy-drinking occasion.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)