Two businesses cited for selling alcohol to a minor

An underage decoy was served alcohol in two of the five Baker County businesses visited last month by an Oregon Liquor Control Commission compliance inspector.

The decoy bought alcohol at the Stockman’s Restaurant and Lounge in Halfway and at the Safeway store in Baker City.

The three businesses that refused to sell alcohol to the OLCC minor decoy are: Grady’s Tavern in Huntington; the Shorthorn Bar and Grill in Richland; and the Baker Truck Corral in Baker City.

Three out of five is a 60-percent compliance level, “significantly below the 2008 statewide average of 78 percent,” Katy Boyce, the OLCC’s Bend regional manager, said in a press release.

“It is so important for licensees and their employees to check ID’s correctly,” Boyce said. “Many sales to minors could be avoided by taking a little longer to get a good look at the ID being presented.”

“Every single person who sold checked ID,” she said. “It’s really disheartening.”

Oregon drivers licenses clearly identify the date a minor will be 18 and old enough to buy tobacco, and the date he or she will be 21, the legal age to buy alcohol, Scott said.

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She’s unsure why clerks who have checked ID would make the sale, some even going so far as to bring out calculators to mathematically compute the buyer’s age, when the information is printed on the front of the drivers license, making the math work unnecessary.

“That to me is a no-brainer way,” she said, noting that the seller has only to consider the date of sale and then check it against the date printed on the license showing when the person turns 21.

All five Baker County businesses that were visited by the decoy compliance check Feb. 9 are members of the OLCC’s Responsible Vendor program, Scott said. As members, the businesses volunteer to provide their employees with information about how to check legitimate ID and how to spot fake ID cards, she said. The businesses also post information informing their customers that they check ID for anyone who appears to be younger than 26.

For that extra effort, member businesses that sell alcohol to the decoys receive a less harsh sanction, Scott said. Rather than the usual choice for first-time offenders of a 10-day suspension of alcohol sales or a $1,650 fine, members of the Responsible Vendor program face a seven-day suspension or a $1,155 fine.

In certain circumstances, businesses also can purchase equipment that verifies the buyer’s age by a scan of the drivers license, in lieu of paying a fine or serving a license suspension, Scott said. The caveat is that sellers must use the equipment every time they sell alcohol to a customer who looks younger than 26.

During her ride-along last month, Scott said the decoy’s license was run through a scanner and it beeped to alert the clerk that something was out of order, but she sold the alcohol anyway.

The OLCC uses volunteers between the ages of 17 and 20 who look young for their age for the decoy operation, Scott said. The decoys use their own identification and present it if asked.

“If asked ‘are you 21’ they will say ‘look at my ID, what does my ID say,’ ” Scott said. “They can’t do anything to coerce the sale.”

Employees of bars and taverns must undergo training to qualify for an alcohol service permit, but store clerks are not required to receive training before selling beer and wine, Scott said.

The OLCC offers a free training course on the topic to servers, clerks and business owners. The class offers instruction on how to check IDs and how to identify false ID. Participants also learn about the laws regarding minors and alcohol.

Scott said businesses that do not sell to the decoy during the inspection are awarded a certificate commending them for their action in denying the sale. Those that make the sales are issued citations.

“It’s sad to think that if they’d just have taken 30 more seconds it could have been avoided,” she said. “I can’t stress enough — take a few extra seconds to look at the ID and if you’re not sure what to look for then take the free ID class.”

More information about the free classes is available by calling Katy Boyce at the OLCC regional office in Bend, 541-388-6292 or by visiting the OLCC Web site:

www.oregon.gov/olcc.