Attorney General's TRACE Task Force Inspires Action
The pain in Lynne Goodwin's heart was unbearable. On March 12, 2003, her 20-year-old daughter, Casey, was struck by an 18-year-old drunk driver. One day later, Casey was dead. Ironically, the standout water polo player had since the age of 11 been involved in prevention programs such as Friday Night Live and the California Youth Council. Now, she was the victim of an underage, drunk driver. While Lynne believed the justice system would mete out appropriate punishment to the defendant, lingering questions troubled her. As a crime victim, she felt she deserved some answers.
On the eve of defendant's sentencing, Lynne met with and asked the Office of the Attorney General, "Where did this boy get the alcohol, and why didn't anyone do anything to find out?"
Seeking an answer, the Office of the Attorney General discussed the case with the Attorney General's Office of Victims' Services. Much to its surprise, the Office of the Attorney General learned that in many jurisdictions, poor communication between local law enforcement and the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) undermined efforts to determine the source of alcohol in fatalities involving underage drinkers driving under the influence of alcohol.
Wanting to address the communications breakdown, the Office of the Attorney General convened a task force called TRACE - Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies. Members of the task force include: Lynne Goodwin; representatives from ABC, the Office of Traffic Safety, the California Highway Patrol, the California Police Chiefs Association, the California Sheriff's Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving; and Raven, serving as chair. TRACE developed a protocol governing immediate investigations of collisions, assaults, and other incidents where underage alcohol use is suspected. The protocol has three primary objectives: (1) guide state and local law enforcement agencies in working with the ABC to quickly determine where and how underage drinkers obtain alcohol in incidents involving death or injury; (2) ensure liquor stores, restaurants, bars and other businesses that sell alcohol to minors face swift, stiff penalties, including loss of their liquor-selling licenses; and, (3) reduce deaths and injuries caused by underage drinking. The protocol requires law enforcement officers to determine where youths obtained or consumed alcohol before the event, and to notify the ABC if the alcohol was purchased or consumed at an ABC-licensed business. If the incident results in death or injury, the ABC ABC will be notified immediately to take appropriate enforcement action.
As of December 2004, ABC was conducting 41 active TRACE investigations involving 25 deaths and 30 serious injuries. Eight arrest warrants have been issued, and eight administrative actions have been filed against ABC licensees. ABC Director Jerry Jolly praised the TRACE protocol, saying it will "further efforts to hold liquor licensees and others accountable when selling or serving alcohol to minors who are later involved in serious crashes or other tragic incidents." Other incidents include alcohol poisonings or overdoses, and assaults committed by, or against, intoxicated minors.
The ABC has sent TRACE reference cards to all police chiefs, sheriffs and CHP officers. More than 20,000 wallet-sized reference cards have been printed for officers to use in the field. Additionally, the ABC is working with officers to produce two videos: one for law enforcement training and one to inform community groups about the protocol.
The work of the TRACE program has received recognition from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. The credit goes to Lynne Goodwin, a California Central Valley mother who in a great personal tragedy found a way to help others. "If only one child gets to grow up, go to college, get married and have kids...something that was stolen from Casey... I'll feel a huge sense of accomplishment," says Lynne.