Compliance Checks

A compliance check is a tool used to identify establishments that
sell alcohol to minors. With the support of an authorized person,
such as law enforcement agent, a person under 21 attempts to
purchase or order an alcoholic beverage. If they are successful
in thier purchase, the enforcement agent issues a citation (to
enforce local ordinances) to the employee, the establishment
or both (to impose administrative penalties).

All licensed establishments should be checked on a routine basis
by an enforcement agency or other authorized entity. This policy
would also give the police or other enforcement agency the ability
to allow minors (under 21) to participate in these compliance checks.

Why are they important:
Commercial outlets are a source of alcohol to minors. National
studies have shown that individuals who lok younger than 21 can
easily purchase alcohol without showing identification. The Coalition
checks show that only four out of ten people selling alcohol were
checking fo valid identification on the young-looking 21+ year olds
who purchased alcohol.

Compliance checks encourage licensees to monitor themselves.
No responsible merchant wants their employees to be caught selling
alcohol to underage persons. Compliance checks not only target the
establishment, but also the employee, encouraging the licensee to
provide proper training for him or her self and the empolyees.

Compliance checks can facilitate and motivate citizen participation
and support. when local citizens collaborate with their enforcement
agencies, or even statewide agencies, they become active participants
in the "policing" of their own community. Once citizens are involved
and aware, they become part of the solution to the problem, instead
of part of the problem.

How it can help:
Compliance checks are most effective when paired with other initiatives
such as: Responsible Bervage Service Training, Requiring ID checks
on patrons appearing under 30 and warning posters.

How effective they are:
Properly administered, compliance checks sharply reduce illegal
alcohol sales to minors. A program in Denver, Colorado resulted in
reduced sales from 58% to 26% over a 10-month period, after three
waves of enforcement. Florida has maintained a compliance rate of 88%
to 90% as a result of 20 years of consistent compliance investigations.