In September, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission conducted a series of undercover stings to see if local businesses were selling alcohol to minors.
Major Mark Menn, Supervisor of Enforcement for TABC Region 1, said 20 gas stations, convenience and liquor stores were tested and all of them complied with state law.
He said they use a teenager, usually around 16 or 17 years old, to walk into the store and try to make a purchase. The teens are not allowed to lie about their age, use a fake ID or wear extra make-up to make them appear older.
“We’re not about hiding in the bushes waiting to catch somebody doing wrong,” Major Menn said. “We want to catch them doing right. There’s no trickery involved.”
TABC also conducts other plain-clothes operations, like keeping an eye out for customers who might be over served and working with bouncers to catch fake ID’s. Although, fake ID’s are not the specialty of TABC, so they also work closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“I think in any college town you’re going to have some kind of problem with fake ID’s,” Lieutenant Bryan Witt said. “It is something we try to combat and I know TABC does. What these students don’t realize is the fines and stuff they are messing with.”
If caught with a fake or borrowed ID, minors could face up to a year in prison and $4,000 in fines.
We asked students on Texas Tech’s campus how minors get alcohol and their answers do not match up with TABC and DPS concerns.
Many students we spoke to said they have older friends and family members buy them alcohol or they show up to house parties where it is already provided. None of the students we spoke to said they had a fake ID and none of them had ever tried buying alcohol at the store.
Are local law enforcement fighting the right problem, spending time, money and resources on investigations that will stop underage consumption? Or are they fighting a losing battle, unable to stop those of legal age from buying alcohol and giving it to minors?
“When it comes down to it, the alcohol industry is a legal industry,” Major Menn said. “They are providing a product and a service to the public. They are employing people in the community. They are paying taxes. They are members of our community, members of our business community. Our job is to regulate the alcohol industry, not police citizens on private property.”
