Lawrence police and other area law enforcement officers issued dozens of citations last week in the second crackdown this semester on underage drinking and fake IDs.
Jen Jordan, director of prevention for DCCCA and a member of The New Tradition Coalition of Lawrence, which aims to reduce underage drinking, said officers last Thursday issued tickets for 14 offenses and 26 citations during a separate enforcement event Friday night.
On Thursday, eight Lawrence police officers were on patrol for four hours, thanks to the coalition’s Drug-Free Communities Grant and wrote six tickets to minors in possession of alcohol, five for consuming alcohol in public and one each for furnishing alcohol to a minor, transporting an open container and possession of a fake ID.
On Friday, officers with agencies, including Lawrence police, the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Alcoholic Beverage Control, Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Kansas University Public Safety Office, issued 12 citations for minors in possession of alcohol, 10 for possession or use of a fake ID, two for consuming in public, and one each for removal of alcohol from a drinking establishment and interference of duties of a law enforcement officer. The Kansas Department of Transportation funded this patrol with a grant, Jordan said.
ABC officers also issued administrative citations at four bars for allowing minors to possess alcohol: The Hawk, 1340 Ohio; Quinton’s Bar and Deli, 615 Mass.; Bullwinkle’s Bar, 1344 Tenn.; and, The Wheel, 507 W. 14th St.
Officers wrote 26 citations related to underage drinking at an earlier patrol in September.
Comments
merrill 1 year, 7 months ago
The Hawk seems to repeat these offenses if my memory serves me well. The Hawk was cited in September. Hmmmmmmmmmmm
Well law enforcement this is in your ball park.
TheSychophant 1 year, 7 months ago
The Hawk, the Wheel, and Bullwinkles have for decades catered to the fraternities and sororities and have a firmly established reputation of being easy on the carding.
itsalwayssunnyinlarry 1 year, 7 months ago
The Hawk has been known as "the freshman bar" for years. It's a reputation they have earned over the years.
srj 1 year, 7 months ago
Is there any consequences for bars repeatedly being cited?
LarryNative 1 year, 7 months ago
Yes, and they are severe. Just because a business is issued a citation does not mean they are guilty. In most cases, the minor commits fraud by showing a fake i.d. Most times, the i.d. is so good that the business is found not guilty.
gatekeeper 1 year, 7 months ago
There are devices the bars can buy just like a credit card reader that will read the magnetic strip on the back of an ID. If it's fake, the info that comes up won't match what's on the ID. Good fake ID's is no excuse.
merrill 1 year, 7 months ago
"Is there any consequences for bars repeatedly being cited?"
Their licenses could be pulled indefinitely........
guess_again 1 year, 7 months ago
I believe the owners of the Hawk and Wheel are also huge Oread neighborhood landlords, and I think one of them is now the prez of the Oread Neighborhood organization, having run out the resident homeowners of the area.
Can you say "ghetto?"
LarryNative 1 year, 7 months ago
What a crock. You have no idea what you are talking about. Find the properties owned by these guys and you will see refurbished homes they sunk $100,000's of thousands into fixing up before making them rentals. Drive by the house behind the Hawk and you will see an example.
juma 1 year, 7 months ago
I am so glad that good tax money is spent taking beer out of the hands of, oh my God!!!., kids old enough to go to Iraq and be killed for our freedom. I mean, what could happen if under 21 but older than 18, drank the evil alcohol. We are the only country, other that Saudia Arabia, with such stupidity.
itsalwayssunnyinlarry 1 year, 7 months ago
Actually it's not national law that you have to be 21 to drink. BUT the government strongly encourages each state to use the 21 age for grant and money purposes. States have considered changing the drinking age for years now, but the thought of losing that extra money and funding usually stops any talk.
itsalwayssunnyinlarry 1 year, 7 months ago
If you are in the army and 18 my understanding is that you are allowed to drink on base or something.
mjc2891 1 year, 7 months ago
minors are also allowed to drink malt beverages under the supervision of their parents.
http://kansasstatutes.lesterama.org/Chapter_21/Article_36/#21-3610
see 21-3610(e)... This section shall not apply to the furnishing of cereal malt beverage by a parent or legal guardian to such parent's child or such guardian's ward when such furnishing is permitted and supervised by the child or ward's parent or legal guardian.
vertigo 1 year, 7 months ago
larry-
it is the base commander that sets the drinking age for their base. however, they always follow the state drinking age.
Trobs 1 year, 7 months ago
Correct. Overseas is the only time we were allowed to drink under the age of 21.
I was deployed until the month before I turned 21. Came back home and had to wait a month before I could drink again. Was not fun.
evilpenguin 1 year, 7 months ago
Agree that 21 is a dumb age limit, considering the US lets kids who are 14 drive CARS! Seriously!? If that's not the dumbest thing I've ever heard then I'll be damned!
In the UK, you can drink and smoke at 18, drive at 16. Kids who are grown up enough to leave home and go to college should be able to drink themselves silly, it's the way to learn lifes best lessons.
wissmo 1 year, 7 months ago
Don't forget seatbelt law enforcement. Smoking too. I was driving very innocently when an underage slightly buzzed teen with a smoke came flying at me from a wrecked car.
Actually, I worry more about thugs. Concentrate of folks who break in homes, drive drunk, rape, and all the other evil things humans do.
gsxr600 1 year, 7 months ago
It should be a 3 strike you're out policy. After 3 violations, shut it down for at least 6 months. The Hawk is a joke. I would bet at any one time at least a third of the patrons in there are underage.
doc1 1 year, 7 months ago
Change the drinking age to 18. Otherwise change the draft policy for military to age 21. 18 is the age of an adult isn't it?
merrill 1 year, 7 months ago
If law enforcement is not actively seeking penalties with teeth and substance why do this nonsense ever?
juma 1 year, 7 months ago
Yes, 21 is the law?? Not really, it was attached to the Highway Funding Match by two housewives in DC; Nancy Reagan and Lizzy Dole (Sec of Transport) They blackmailed the Sates to comply. I do NOT want to discuss this with Ablosishtinists bcs you have a higher calling. Fact is all countrires are 'out of step' with us. And, anyone over 50 started drinking legally before 21 and are they ALL screwed-up????
flyin_squirrel 1 year, 7 months ago
Hawk, Wheel, and Bull will always have more tickets than other bars because they are checked every night. Why doesn't ABC and Jen Jordan try going to El Mez, Salty Iguana, Tres Mexicans, Applebees, etc... If you visit restaurants every night you will find minors as well (and most likely high schoolers).
Does ABC really think giving 24 tickets is going to stop college students from drinking? It may stop them from going to the bars and just force them into drinking at houses. Does it strike anyone as a coincidence that our city commission is looking at rental registrations to stop noisy houses while the police and ABC chase drinkers out of the bars....
Prohibition never worked, but nobody ever said government learns from their mistakes.
oneeye_wilbur 1 year, 7 months ago
14 tickets and 26 citations. Wow, that's not many given that the area they were in probably has at minimun a 1,000 wandering around.
The police would rather be at 14th and Ohio area, the "eye Candy" is better. Why would they want to hang around downtown, they might need to walk a bit from block to block.
The police can give out citiations for the drinking but cannot give a ticket for a car parked on the grass that Arly Allen complains about or issue citations for litter in yards after football games? Why? Because they have been instructed not to.
This alcohol thingy makes press and looks like Lawrence is addressing an alcohol problem. NOT! All one had to do was take a nice morning walk north, east and downtown(before the city cleaned up Mass) after the football game and realize Lawrence is trashy, and even the city parking lots fall right in line for first place.
Yours truly, Wilbur
vertigo 1 year, 7 months ago
What are "docens of tickets"?
jackpot 1 year, 7 months ago
Beat me to it.
guess_again 1 year, 7 months ago
I believe the owners of the Hawk and Wheel are also huge Oread neighborhood landlords, and I think one of them is now the prez of the Oread Neighborhood organization, having run out the resident homeowners of the area.
Can you say "ghetto?"
Alceste 1 year, 6 months ago
not exactly true, guess_again: The "...resident homeowners of the area...." may have consisted of five or six very uppity types who didn't like to play by their very own rules. You'll be happy to know they have now created what they refer to as a "club" called the Oread Residents Association which may be viewed here: http://oreadresidents.org/
It is a "by application" "club". Note that the minutes to their meetings are password protected, please. They're an exclusive bunch....not a neighborhood inclusive group as they would have you believe. They're no different than developers and landlords. Not one bit.
The Oread Neighborhood Association is open to any and all, no questions asked. The fact a "democratic election" took place and resulted in some changes is what one might call a "tyranny of the majority".....but that's "democracy": The most votes win (except in Florida).
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 1 year, 7 months ago
Under Kansas law, it's the server that bears the legal brunt of serving to someone underage, not the bar. And use of a fake ID isn't typically allowed as a defense.
LarryNative 1 year, 7 months ago
You are incorrect. Any time a server is issued a ticket for serving a minor, the state issues the license holder a ticket as well. Usually a server gets diversion. Fines range from $500 to $2,500 per vilation to the business, suspension or revocation. After 9 violations in 4 years, the state usually extorts about $10k from the license holder to start over. The next time a business gets 9, the business is suspended or revoked. The Hawk is always getting violations because the business does have minors but the Hawk is checked over 150 times a year by police. On The Border was checked one time and was caught with 5 minors, that business was never checked again. The point is minors drink in 100% of all businesses that serve alcohol. The law is only enforced in about a dozen businesses in town. The other 120 establishments serve minors every day, including Freestate Brewery (who was checked once by ABC last year and got busted) with out any problems.
Soapbox 1 year, 7 months ago
If they would ever check Konroy's it would be a jackpot!
LarryNative 1 year, 7 months ago
The article did not not mention that these bar raids only cost the state tax payers $60,000. The New Tradition applies for a state grant every year for $60k and then pay's the ABC, sheriff's and additional LPD to raid bars for two weekends. I wonder how many millions our state gives away every year to rediculous programs like this while slashing school budgets and art programs?
LarryNative 1 year, 7 months ago
Sorry "ridiculous". I should have just put "waste of money" instead because I always put an "e" in ridiculous. I can't stop myself.
Paul R. Getto 1 year, 7 months ago
LVN: I agree. This entire exercise is a waste of money and manpower. Concentrate on drunk drivers and lower the age to 18 like enlightened counties in Europe.
Erin Graham 1 year, 7 months ago
sigh...everybody has 'something' to say... Why not a simple "Thank You" to our law enforcement officers? Dealing with these idiots is probably not their favorite thing to have to do.
It'd be impossible in a college town to bust everyone every night. If you want an officer at every alcohol serving establishment in town at all hours of operation, have fun paying for that.
wolfmn1958 1 year, 7 months ago
I have to chime in on this,I was allowed to drink by law when I was 18. I drive party buses here in town. A lot of door men do there jobs top notch. They can't help it when people sneak alcohol out. I see it all the time. I make the person who sneaks out with a drink go back in. I also let them know that the bar can get into a lot of trouble. 90% understand,the other 10% could care less. Tickets,nothing but a money maker. Think about it. Money is made off of the individual,an the bars. That's a lot of money being made. We all have to obey the laws,I completely agree with this,this 21yr law needs to be changed. You can educate all you want,but if people don't want to be educated,there's not much you can do about that.
flyin_squirrel 1 year, 7 months ago
Does anyone really think that any of the students who got a ticket at the bars that night is going to stop drinking because of this ticket? It will cause them to "binge drink" more, so they don't get caught with a drink in their hand again, but I highly doubt anyone will stop drinking.
Our drinking laws are the reason students binge drink. They don't want to get caught in the bars with a drink in their hand, so they binge drink to get drunk before they go out, then only have to drink a few shots when in the bars to keep their buzz. You would think Jen Jordan would know that but I think she is more interested in headlines than helping stop root of the problem.
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