Classes aim to help store clerks
Education effort targets local alcohol sales to minors
It's hard to believe anybody could have been fooled by some of those fake IDs.
The lamination was frayed, signatures didn't match the name printed on the driver's license, and blurry words bordered uneven rows of numbers.
Collected by the Flathead County Alcohol Enforcement Team, the forged identification cards were part of a class Tuesday designed to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.
In attendance were about a dozen convenience- and grocery-store clerks learning state laws governing the sale of alcohol and ways to spot underage buyers.
Employees learn that it is illegal to sell alcohol to an already intoxicated person, they must make a reasonable effort to verify a customer's age, and that they ultimately are responsible for the sale. They are also shown examples of fake IDs and given an opportunity to play with ID verification machines.
"Now, after hearing this, they realize they really are on the front lines of keeping alcohol out of the hands of kids," said Wendy Olson, of Safe Kids/Safe Communities, who teaches the class.
Olson and Alcohol Enforcement Team coordinator Det. Travis Bruyer also conduct a class, called TIPs, specifically designed for bartenders and restaurant servers.
Attendance in the classes has increased since the Alcohol Enforcement Team started doing compliance checks in 2005, Olson said.
Compliance checks are conducted with volunteer underage buyers who, when asked, provide servers or clerks with their actual, valid IDs.
Business owners started sending their employees to the classes to avoid, or in response to, stiff fines. Other attendees are ordered to take the class by a judge as part of their penalty for selling alcohol to minors.
Students learn that restaurants, casinos, convenience stores, grocery stores and bars all have the same liability and face the same penalties for serving alcohol to minors.
Businesses found selling alcohol to minors are fined $250 for a first offense. A second offense carries a $1,000 fine; a third offense carries a $1,500 fine and a 20-day suspension of the establishment's liquor license; a fourth offense can result in a liquor license revocation.
The individual servers are charged with sale of alcohol to minors and also face fines, students learn.
Compliance rates have improved by about 30 percentage points since the checks began, said Bruyer.
"Right now, we're holding steady at about 70 percent compliance, he said.
But in the first round of compliance checks in 2008, nine of the 17 establishments tested failed to determine that customers were under 21 and sold them alcohol - a compliance rate of 52 percent.
"We don't want to get so caught up in a number that we forget why we're doing it," said Bruyer, stressing the education aspect. "People should voluntarily comply with the law."
Best Bet Casino, Black Angus Casino, Costco, Red's Wines and Blues, Genki restaurant, Shaker's Steak House, China Wall, and the Dew Drop Inn passed the Feb. 13 checks.
Glacier Grill and Pizza, Northfork Store, Jagz restaurant, Spencer and Co., Mackinaws Grill, Red Caboose, Cornerhouse Grill, Bullman's and Thai Palace failed.
Servers who passed were given gift certificates to local businesses, said Bruyer, adding that in the future he would like to see larger numbers of establishments pass.
Perhaps the best way to combat underage drinking is through community collaboration, Olson said.
"We need to support each other to make a difference," she said.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com