A lcohol Law Enforcement officers recently cracked down on underage alcohol distribution at local bars in order to help curb underage drinking and the problems associated with it . This enforcement tactic should be altered slightly when assigning blame and issuing citations to the parties involved.
Currently, while the bar can suffer some consequences, the citations are levied against the individual employee who is caught serving to people under age. These citations can ultimately result in fines for the employee or in the termination of their employment .
While it may still be appropriate to levy some minimal charges against the individual employee, the establishment and its owners should be cited as well and face the brunt of any fines or other charges.
Though there is the threat of eventually losing its liquor license, the larger establishment risks little when serving those under age. It only experiences an increase in business. This gives little incentive for the bar to hold its employees accountable to the law. Shifting the placement of the citations could help ensure that the law is being enforce not only by ALE agents, but also bars’ management.
Assigning the citation in this way would also allow those that better understand the business to decide where fault actually falls. Managers would be able to pinpoint the cause of the oversight, as the infraction may have been caused by multiple employees’ actions or confusion stemming from a high traffic night.
Underage drinking occurs and will continue to occur. Officials should be concerned with mitigating the dangerous actions that result from it including drunk driving and suicide attempts . Fining individual bartenders and altering their behavior will not do it. Targeting the bars may not either, but it seems like a better place to start.
