Underage drinking sting sees fewer violations

If the kid looks too young, he probably is.

Several business owners discovered that during an underage drinking sting on St. Patrick's Day and the day before and after, a notoriously popular time for binge drinking.

Officers dispatched underage agents to purchase alcohol from dozens of bars and restaurants across Lake County.

What police found was most businesses checked IDs and refused to sell the booze to the underage buyers.

"Businesses are getting the message," said Mundelein Police Chief Ray Rose. "We've seen an increase in compliance since we started this last year." Rose led the investigation as part of Lake County Underage Drinking Task Force.

Purchase attempts were made in eight villages. Highland Park Police reported three violations after checking 12 businesses. Grayslake checked 14 places and found one violator. There was one violation in Mundelein after checking nine. Deerfield checked nine, Lake Bluff two, Lake Villa 14, and Round Lake Beach 23. Police reported no violations in those towns.

It's the second year the task force has tested businesses for compliance. Last year, police made 100 attempts to purchase alcohol, and 17 businesses were caught selling to the minor agents. This year, 93 attempts were made and eight establishments broke the law.

The initiative was sponsored by the Lake County Chief's of Police Association and the Lake County After School Coalition. The group focuses on enforcement, legislative, resource, communication and research.

Rose said the task force is taking aim at another popular occasion for minors to drink.

"We'll be doing this during prom season," he said. "We're looking at April and May to do compliance checks. We're all working together to keep everyone safe."