Local establishments that have gotten away with selling alcohol to minors may start to think twice about their selling habits to avoid fines and fees.
The Meridian Township Police Department and Ingham County Sheriff’s Office conducted liquor sale compliance checks throughout Ingham County during the past two months, visiting more than 100 establishments to ensure they were not distributing alcohol to minors.
Of the 101 establishments checked, 89 percent complied with alcohol distribution laws.
Meridian Township police Sgt. Scott Dawson said some establishments acknowledged that the buyer was under 21 and sold alcohol to them anyway.
Vertical licenses, which were introduced as part of Michigan’s Vertical Identification Program in 2003 to prevent minors from purchasing alcohol and other age-restricted products, help prevent underage selling — to a certain extent, Dawson said.
“It helps for sure, but only if the person selling the alcohol pays attention and observes,” Dawson said.
To check compliance, police had a person under 21 years of age enter restaurants and party stores in the area and attempt to buy alcohol.
If the minor was allowed to buy alcohol, the establishment was charged $100 in civil fines and was reported to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. Those establishments also could face further sanctions.
“It makes more sense to do compliance checks in East Lansing as opposed to five or six miles away,” Dawson said. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people underage out there trying to buy alcohol as well.”
Five years ago, when vertical licenses for drivers under 21 were issued, there were nearly 1,700 convictions of minors driving with alcohol in their system, according to the Michigan Department of State. The number has fallen each year since, to about 1,340 convictions in 2007.
Michigan State Police Lt. Gary Megge said the vertical licensing helps keep drunken drivers off the road by making it more difficult for minors to purchase alcohol.
“In turn, that may have some effect on young drivers drinking and driving,” he said. “Every little thing that we do has some sort of potential outcome.”
Dawson said at some businesses, sellers send the license through an electronic reader that alerts sellers of underage buyers, yet they sell alcohol to the person anyway.
“We go through phases where we find a ring of people making IDs,” Dawson said. “But usually those are caught by the bar or restaurant.”
Michele Flickinger, a park, recreation and tourism resources junior, said she is surprised to hear that establishments around East Lansing may not always check to make sure a buyer is at least 21 years old.
“I’ve always heard that places were pretty strict and usually they check,” Flickinger said.
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