Bars raided, officers cite underagers

Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement officers and city and state police raided three Oakland… Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement officers and city and state police raided three Oakland bars late Thursday night into early Friday morning.

At 11:35 p.m. Thursday, officers performed an open inspection of Cumpie’s Restaurant and Lounge. During an open inspection, officers reveal their identities, instead of remaining undercover, and start carding people.

Five underagers were cited for underage drinking at Cumpie’s, and officers cited two for possession of fake IDs. John Hupp, an enforcement officer from the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, did not know if the two people cited for having fake IDs were also cited for underage drinking.

One hour later, officers began carding people at Bootleggers. Five people there were cited for underage drinking. And at 1:30 a.m. on Friday, officers cited one underager at Denny’s Bar.

Those cited for underage drinking and possession of a fake ID have to go to court, where a judge will decide the offenders’ punishments.

According to Hupp, a typical punishment for a first-time offender is a fine of about $300 and a 90-day driver’s license suspension.

The bars’ owners also have administrative charges filed against them, Hupp said. Usually, this results in a $1,000 fine, but owners can also have their liquor licenses suspended or revoked, he added.

Criminal charges can also be filed, meaning the owners of the bars could possibly face jail time, Hupp said.He was not aware of any possible criminal charges faced by Cumpie’s, Bootleggers, or Denny’s.

During the summer, officers also raided Cumpie’s for underage drinking.

Management at Cumpie’s had no comment.

According to Hupp, there are several different factors the Bureau uses when deciding which establishments it will visit.

“We’re generally complaint-driven,” he said.

When the Bureau uses tips it receives about bars that serve minors, officers know beforehand which establishments they are going to raid, and the raid is typically part of an ongoing investigation.

But officers sometimes also decide to spontaneously perform open inspections if “youthful-looking” people are on the premises, he said.

Hupp said he did not know which scenario applied to Thursday night’s raids.