POLK COUNTY -- This summer, in collaboration with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk United conducted the county’s first ever alcohol age compliance checks. These checks were for Class A establishments only, such as convenience, liquor and grocery stores. During these checks, law enforcement works with underage volunteers to make sure that retailers are checking identification and refusing the sale of alcohol to minors. 36 of the approximately 50 Class A establishments in the county were checked with 13 of those 36 (36.1%) selling to an underage person.
In an effort to decrease alcohol access to underage individuals, a “Safe Serve” educational class was offered to those clerks who sold in lieu of the original citation and fine. The county plans to continue these checks in order to decrease the percent of establishments selling to those under 21. By working to eliminate this avenue for obtaining alcohol, we can continue to make change and improve the health and wellbeing of the youth in Polk County.
We would like to extend a special thanks to the following for their assistance in this process:
- Kristin Boland, Criminal Justice Collaborating Council (CJCC) Coordinator
- Jeffrey Kemp, District Attorney and staff
- Barron County Community Coalition
- Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Polk United encourages you to do what you can to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage individuals.
For more information or to get involved, visit the Polk Untied website at http://polkunited.org.
Last Update: Nov 05, 2019 10:58 am CST
