Frostburg Bars Ace Underage Drinking Compliance Checks

Underage drinking in college towns is an issue that many communities have to address. Individuals between the ages of 12 and 20 account for 11% of alcohol consumed in the nation. In attempts to prevent underage drinking, the Frostburg Community Coalition (FCC) works with the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office to reduce underage drinking in Allegany County. The local bars have the option to voluntarily sign a “Cooperating Alcohol Agreement” (CAA) which is a document that describes the partnership between Frostburg State University and the City of Frostburg in the fight against underage drinking. New 2014 signatories of the agreement include the Bar Monkey, Midland Sportsman Club, and Byrnesies Bar. FBar, Wild Things, Zen Shi, Dante’s, Gladstones, Outback, Knights of Columbus, and the American Legion all renewed their CAA for the upcoming year. This year not one bar in Frostburg was found to be in violation of any alcohol laws concerning underage drinking.

Lyndsey Baker, the Frostburg Community Coalition coordinator, explained the process. There were 103 compliance checks during the spring of 2014 (March 3-May 28). Checks are usually conducted by a younger cadet who is below the legal drinking age. All bars are responsible for identifying the age of their patrons to ensure they are 21 years old or older. If bar staff fails to check for correct identification, the establishment has violated an alcohol law. Along with the business, the Allegany County Liquor Control Board is notified of this violation. Also, when bars opt to sign the agreement, they are offered a training program, called Training for Intervention ProcedureS  or TIPs ,  for the entire staff.  This training provides the necessary knowledge when it comes to serving alcohol—the procedures for checking identification, MD liquor laws, and how to appropriately refuse alcohol to a patron under the legal drinking age. The goal of the CAA is to ensure that local bars have the resources and assistance to create a safe atmosphere for patrons.

The effectiveness of this program depends on the commitment of the business owners and bar staff. The local bars have gotten all employees to be 100% in accordance with alcohol laws, as Lyndsey Baker explains, “I can say with certainty that the last thing they want is anyone under the age of 21 drinking alcohol in their establishment.”  She also emphasizes that “compliance checks by law enforcement, coupled with TIPS Training, is a comprehensive evidence-based strategy to decrease youth access to alcohol.” Many bars check for identification at the door, and even at the bar itself. Many effective strategies have been put into action and have successfully decreased alcohol violations.

As opposed to seven violations in 2013, the compliance checks of 2014 yielded other results; there was a significant decrease in underage drinking violations. Lyndsey Baker commented,“It’s remarkable that there were 103 attempts by a cadet to purchase alcohol illegally within our community and they were 100% unsuccessful in obtaining alcohol.”