2025-12-15 Liquor Commission Minutes Hilo (Special Meeting)

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the Commission to track progress, address challenges, and maintain transparency and accountability. And this approach ensures that any expansion strengthens compliance, public safety, and trust while preserving the Department's core mission. Okabe: No. 11, what kind of programs would you implement, perpetuate and / or expand upon to assist in fostering programs to address underage drinking prevention and overservice prevention? Kouchi: I believe that underage drinking and overservice prevention is most effective when enforcement education and partnership work together. Programs should prevent violations before they occur while holding individuals and businesses accountable when necessary. For underage drinking, I would continue to expand compliance efforts such as our sales to minors compliance checks, our delivery and online ordering compliance checks, and conduct identification verification training for our licensees and our current investigators. I would also strengthen our partnerships with our local schools and youth programs, and parenthood organizations, to provide age -appropriate education about all laws, decision -making, and the consequences. For overservice prevention, I'll expand responsible beverage service training focused on recognizing intoxication, managing challenging situations, and understanding liability. Partnering with our community and liquor industry groups encourages voluntary compliance and reinforces best practices. I would also use a data -driven approach to target any high -risk areas, analyze our violation trends, and analyze our compliance outcomes to focus our resources effectively in this area. These programs foster a culture of shared responsibility, protecting both the community, and maintaining trust between the Department, the licensees, and our community as a whole. Okabe: No. 12, can you give me an example of a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy or a law which you did not agree? Kouchi: I cannot recall the specific situation where I did not agree with a policy or law, or I did not comply with the policy or law, but with that being said, for this question in terms of a situation where I did not agree with the direction given to me by my direct supervisor at the time, I can recall the one specific situation. I was once ordered to conduct an inspection of a business that I felt posed minimal risk, but I was directed to follow certain strict compliance procedures. This was due to unfounded complaints before an investigation could be completed, during that time I was required to seize all alcohol that they had on property as evidence. These complaints were shortly after discovered to be false and deliberately made to harm the licensee by a past owner who had I guess, been taken off of leasing the business, and a new lease was drawn up for another person. MINUTES - LIQUOR COMMISSION MEETING SPECIAL MEETING - MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025 - HILO PAGE 12 OF 35