Tuesday evening 03-16-10 the Lee’s Summit Police Department conducted a quarterly liquor control “sting” operation within the city. The “sting” targeted retail establishments responsible for following municipal and state law regarding the sale of alcohol to minors. A total of thirty-four businesses were checked, with seven clerks being cited for an illegal sale.
During the operation an underage decoy will enter the business and attempt to purchase alcohol while wearing recording equipment to verify actions of both the decoy and business clerk. The business clerk plays an important role in preventing underage alcohol consumption by completing one task, and that is verifying the age of the purchaser. If the business clerk refuses to sell then management receives a letter congratulating them on the appropriate action of their employee.
If an illegal sale is made a detective with the Special Investigative Unit will enter the business after the decoy exits and issue a citation for the sale of alcohol to a minor. The citation has a maximum penalty or fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail. The clerk has the primary responsibility for verifying age which is why they receive the citation and not the business. If repeated violations do occur at a particular business Missouri State Liquor Control may initiate disciplinary action against the business liquor license.
Citations were issued to business clerks at convenience stores in the 5000 block of NE Lakewood Way (Gas Mart), 700 block of NE Woods Chapel Rd (CVS), 1000 block of NE Sam Walton Ln (Wal-Mart), 300 block of Rice Rd (Hy-Vee), 1700 block of NE Langsford Rd (Temp Stop), 800 block of SE Third St (Pop-A-Top) and the 1300 block of SW Market (Fuel Mart).