3 of 9 Bend liquor licensees fail OLCC minor ‘sting’
Six Bend liquor license holders passed a recent sting and did not sell alcohol to minor decoys, while the three others who were visited did sell to them, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission said Friday.
During the sales checks, a minor volunteer attempts to purchase alcohol from a licensed business to see if staff are checking IDs correctly and refusing to sell alcohol to anyone under 21.
The OLCC said it performs the alcohol sales checks in an effort to reduce access to alcohol by minors and reduce underage drinking.
Commission inspectors and/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 21st birthday.
The three license holders in Bend who sold to the minor decoy during the August 10 sting operation were Rozak’s Fish House on NE Third Street, Spud Muffin’s Express on NE Twin Knolls Drive and Reed Pub Company on Southeast Centennial Court.
The six who did not sell to the minor decoy: Trailhead Liquor on Robal Lane, Bogey’s Burgers on NE Highway 20, US Market on Lancaster Street, 7-Eleven at 810 NE Greenwood Avenue, Double Happiness on NE Highway 20 and East Bend Liquor on NE Highway 20.
OLCC reports show the minor decoys have visited 65 Central Oregon businesses so far this year, and about 22 percent sold alcohol to a minor. A recent similar decoy operation in Portland checked nine licensees and had a 100 percent compliance figure, while 33 licensees were visited in Lake Oswego, with 82% compliance.
