Crook Co. businesses bat .500 in OLCC minor ‘sting’
Three out of six businesses visited in Prineville, Post and Paulina passed a check for alcohol sales to minors by refusing to sell alcohol to a minor volunteer, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission said Monday.
The sales checks performed April 24 resulted in a compliance rate of 50 percent, which is well below the 2012 statewide average of 81 percent.
The commission performs the minor sales checks in an effort to reduce drinking by minors, which is a serious problem throughout the state.
The OLCC tests licensed liquor businesses throughout the year. Licensees or their employees could be held liable for alcohol-related damages and injuries if they serve or sell alcohol to a minor.
The OLCC offers a free training course on how to check ID’s. Participants learn how to identify false identification and the laws regarding minors and alcohol. Additional training opportunities are available including classes for store clerks and service permit holders. Interested persons can call the local OLCC office to schedule a training session.
During the sales checks, a minor volunteer attempts to purchase alcohol from a licensed business to see if staff are checking ID’s correctly and refusing to sell alcohol to anyone under 21.
Commission inspectors or other law enforcement officers supervise the minor volunteers. The volunteers carry their own legal ID that identifies them as under 21 and do not disguise their age or lie to encourage the sale of alcohol.
The Oregon Driver license for a minor carries a red border around the picture with the words “Minor Until” followed by the date of his/her 21 st birthday.
Under Oregon law, businesses in cities with a population of 20,000 or more have an equal chance of being randomly selected for a minor decoy compliance check. A business can also be selected for a compliance check if there is a documented complaint of sales to minors. Businesses in cities with a population under 20,000 and unincorporated areas in counties are not subject to these selection requirements.
Minor Decoy Operation
April 24, 2013
PAULINA, POST, PRINEVILLE
6 premises visited: 3 No Sales, 3 Sales – Compliance rate of 50%
NO SALES
POST GENERAL STORE AND EATERY
28550 SE PAULINA HWY
POST
POWELL BUTTE COUNTRY STORE
13673 SW HWY 126
POWELL BUTTE
NO SALES
JUNIPER GROVE RV PARK
11712 SE DAVIS LOOP
PRINEVILLE
SALES
KURT’S COUNTRY STORE AND TAVERN
70344 SE PAULINA CITY RD
PAULINA
THE CLUB AT BRASADA RANCH
16976 BRASADA CANYONS DR
POWELL BUTTE
SALES
COOLER BAR
3770 LAMONTA RD
PRINEVILLE
