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Got some ID?' Clerks vary on dealing with underage patrons By
Richard Jenson
"Can I please see your ID?" asks the gas station cashier, Mike Allen. The college-age customer rolls his eyes and reluctantly pulls out his wallet to retrieve his driver's license. After a quick glance, Allen rings up the beer on the counter. "Thanks, have a good day," says Allen as the customer leaves, looking a little annoyed. Allen shrugs off the customer's attitude. "You'd think he was 30 the way he acted; he was barely 23." Allen explains that's usually the way it is, the closer they are to the age of 21, the more attitude they give you. Allen says unless he can tell they are at least 30, he ID's them. And since Aggie Station borders a college campus, he ID's a lot of people. "Most of the people who come in here are regulars and I don't need to, but for those buying beer who I've never seen and look a little young, you can bet I'll ask for ID," says Allen. Allen has seen it all -- fake ID's, ID's belonging to other people, and some interesting excuses. "One guy said he couldn't show me his driver's license because the police confiscated it when he was arrested for DUI (driving under the influence)," says Allen, shaking his head. "The sad part is, I think he was telling the truth." With underage drinking on campus constantly a problem, USU starts looking for new ways to crack down. Now, along with "dry" housing, any underage student caught drinking can have his or her parents notified. "It's on the rise again. We had 20 more arrests this year than last," says USU police officer Steve Milne. Milne also says students' drinking trends have changed, making it harder for the police to catch them. "Ten years ago you could arrest a dozen underage drinking students walking around campus on any given weekend. That doesn't happen now. Since all of USU facilities are supposed to be dry, students have taken it inside and are quieter about it," says Milne. He says most of the arrests occur when a party at a private residence gets out of control and the police are called. "We do get some student housing arrests. Mountain View Towers seem to have the most problem," says Milne. However, some underage students continue drinking heavily at USU activities. "At this year's Halloween Howl, we had three female students that were rushed to the hospital with alcohol poisoning," says Milne. The three young women were found passed out in the women's restroom, choking on their vomit. Milne says most of the students caught drinking underage are 18 or 19. "It's their first time away from home so they decide to go out and experiment . . . and many of them end up an MIP," he says. MIP, or "minor in possession," is a Class B misdemeanor and carries a $285 fine. So, where are the underage students getting the alcohol? "There's no place that sells it on campus," says Milne. Most likely, the alcohol is purchased by adults and given to minors, or in some cases, sold directly to minors. "Yeah, I've sold to minors," says the cashier of a Logan gas station. He doesn't want his real name used, or the name of the station where he works, for obvious reasons. He says to just call him Joe, a bit fitting as he puffs on a Camel cigarette. "It's not like I'm selling wine coolers to 10-year-olds. I mean, most of the guys I've sold to are out of high school, most are just (college) students. I don't let them buy the big 24-packs, but I'll let a sixpack or two slide. I mean, it's 3.2 (percent alcohol) beer, it's not what you'd call the hard stuff," he says sarcastically. Joe explains the negotiation process of an underage sale. "They usually tell me they forgot their license. If they look out of high school, I'll ask them how old they are. If they say, '21,' I'll sell. That's the magic word," he says with a smile. Joe explains that legally, someone involved in a police sting can't lie about his or her age, so once the customer says "21," Joe is in the clear. Either the customer really is 21, or the sting is illegal. Joe also stresses the importance of "using" an ID. He explains that it doesn't have to be real or legal, but it helps if there is a security camera, or other people in the store. "It (the ID) doesn't have to be real, or even yours, just show me something so I can pretend to look at it," Joe says. "Most underage guys just show me their regular license, so it looks like I'm checking." So, what is the most likely way to get alcohol when Joe's behind the counter? "Come in by yourself with a fake ID. Then if I get caught, I can just say, 'But I thought it was real, officer, honest I did," he says sarcastically. He says the importance of coming in alone is that there are no witnesses. The last thing during an underage sale, and perhaps the most important, is the receipt. "Never give them a receipt. That's a smoking gun for you. . . . What are they gonna do with it besides get you in trouble?" Joe says he never profited from selling to minors; he says the reasons he chooses for selling date to when he was in high school. "Guys working at the very station I work at now sold to me in high school. To me, it's sort of an unwritten rule: They sold to me when I was underage, now it's my turn to return the favor to some of the younger guys," he says, lighting another cigarette. Ironically, Joe doesn't drink anymore. He explains, "It seemed like when I hit 21, it just wasn't as fun as it used to be; too many hangovers. . . . I mean, besides, it was legal. What's so fun about that?" The consequences of selling alcohol to minors are substantial, but only if are caught more than once. The first time a person is caught selling to a minor, it is considered a Class A misdemeanor accompanied by a fine of several hundred dollars. The fine rises each time a person is caught and can reach as high as $10,000. But catching underage sellers is not a USU police responsibility, explains Milne. "Gas stations like Aggie Station and Foothill Mart are not in our jurisdiction," says Milne. "We can't do anything about them. It's up to the city police to do stings on them and make sure they're not selling to minors." But since the police can't be a every gas station for every alcohol sale, it is really up to the cashier to stop underage drinking before it starts. "Yeah, it gets annoying," sighs Allen. "I get tired of asking, probably as tired as the customers are of getting their ID's out. "But I have to keep doing it. That's what I get paid my big paychecks for," he says with a wry smile. "It takes five seconds to show me your license, but it's amazing how pissed off people get. If someone really throws a tantrum, I remember them and make sure to ID them every time they come in," Allen says, laughing. "You should see their face as you ask them for their ID each time. . . . It makes my day. "Some people take it as an insult, but there really is no other way. If I don't check ID's, it (alcohol) could end up in the wrong hands." He adds, "It's nothing personal. I'm just doing my job."
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