Training for a Liquor Sting Operation

When it comes to the issue of preventing alcohol sales to minors, police have found that letting those same minors sniff out the offenders themselves is remarkably effective.

Four out of 11 Trumbull establishments that were conducted Dec. 28 by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and the .

Youth volunteers used their real IDs for the checks. They were carded and sold to at three of the businesses that failed the evaluation, while one of these stores did not check IDs at all.

According to police, there are several possible explanations: the employees involved did not look at the birth date on the card, misread the date, or saw the date but still sold to the volunteers, who ranged in age from 15-19.

These teens went through an intensive training program offered by the Governor’s Prevention Partnership (GPP), a nonprofit run by the state government along with Connecticut business leaders, which was created to assure positive performance from the state's future workforce by reducing substance abuse.

Those who volunteer are told to make sure that they look noticeably young, or at least young enough, said Stephanie Moran, a program coordinator for the Partnership. “The rules are very, very strict,” she said.

Volunteers cannot have facial hair or wear college or military sweatshirts; hats cannot be worn. To prepare to go undercover, all teens are instructed to dress age appropriately and the girls are told not to wear too much make up. “Sometimes they have them wash some of it off at the police station,” said Moran.

After being briefed at the station, the teens ride in an unmarked police car to visit the designated stores.

The GPP has training locations set up across the state. The organization works with SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and local police departments to recruit teens for the program.

Police initiated the checks with the support of Trumbull Partnership Against Underage Drinking (TPAUD), a community coalition created to ensure that Trumbull teens do not have access to alcohol.

"We use kids from different areas around an hour away [from the town being checked]," Moran said, in order to prevent the GPP teens from being recognized. Parents are required to sign a permission slip before their child can participate.

The training program itself includes PowerPoint presentations that detail possible scenarios, as well as role playing activities.

According to Moran, it sometimes happens that the volunteers are yelled at and kicked out of the stores when the sale is discovered to be an undercover operation. “People sometimes get a little mad,” she said.

Program coordinators gauge teens’ comfort levels throughout the training process. Some teens end up deciding that they are not up to the task.

“One of the main factors we have to take into account is the safety of the kids and everyone involved in the compliance check,” said Lt. Tom Savarese of the Trumbull Police Department, who said the checks were supervised by three Trumbull officers.

Stop and Shop, Marisa’s Ristorante, Ruby Tuesday in the Trumbull Mall, and Asian Village were the four businesses that failed the Trumbull checks.

“Ruby Tuesday has policies and procedures in place at all of our restaurants to ensure proper service of alcoholic beverages.  We are investigating this incident and will take appropriate action,” said Ruby Tuesday Communications manager Meridith Hammond.

Stop and Shop and Marisa's chose not to comment, and Asian Village could not be reached in time for publication.

After the checks are completed, the liquor agents and police review the violations with the storeowner. There is a $750 fine for the first offense, and for the second, the store can get a three-day suspension of their liquor license.

Melissa McGarry, TPAUD coordinator for Trumbull Public Schools, stressed the importance of enforcing these laws and penalties. “While our own data shows that the majority of our teens who drink get their alcohol from their home or a friend's, it is vital that teens not be able to buy alcohol in town,” she said.

TPAUD also sponsors extra patrols on nights and weekends to target minors, this using a three-year grant from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

According to Lt. Savarese, there will be a series of TPAUD-sponsored patrols this January and February. The department is currently in the process of scheduling the dates.

To find out more about the Governor's Prevention Partnership's youth training program visit www.preventionworksct.org. To learn about TPAUD, go to www.trumbullps.org/tpaud.