Law targets underage drinking

Starting in February, the Pennsylvania state police will enforce a new law that enables them… Starting in February, the Pennsylvania state police will enforce a new law that enables them to crack down on those who sell alcohol to minors.

Act 141 of 2002, previously called House bill 850, allows minors between the ages of 18 and 20 to perform alcohol compliance checks by attempting to buy alcohol in order to catch those who sell to minors. The bill was signed on Dec. 3, 2002, by Governor Mark Schweiker.

The minors must be employed or interned by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (LCE), be supervised by an officer who is 21 or older and undergo training.

Currently, the LCE does not have any employees or interns who can perform the compliance checks, said Captain Leonard McDonald, the coordinator of the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws program.

According to McDonald, the training program is being developed now and will include teaching interns basic LCE policies and procedures as well as safety issues.

“There will be a variety of ways in which to determine where we’ll do the compliance checks,” he said.

The LCE will take community complaints and previous incidents of selling to minors into account when they decide where to perform the compliance checks, according to McDonald. He added that compliance checks will be done anywhere alcohol is sold throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

Those who fail the compliance checks will receive “punishment determined by an administrative law judge,” McDonald said. Possible punishments include up to a $5,000 fine and suspension of their liquor license.

According to McDonald, in the most likely event, charges would be filed against the liquor license-holder rather than the people who sold the alcohol to the minor.

Jacqueline Hackett, youth representative from Pennsylvanians Against Underage Drinking, sees the new act as a way to prevent underage drinking.

“Seeing the consequences adults face from breaking underage drinking laws is sure to sway minors from breaking the laws themselves,” she said in a press release.

Although PAUD executive director Felicity DeBacco-Erni realizes minors can obtain alcohol by other means she said, “Anything we can do to stop minors getting alcohol in their hands is worth any effort.”

Even if the act only dissuades one person from getting alcohol, it is worth it, DeBacco-Erni said.