WINONA, Minn. – Police sent an undercover minor to 19 bars in town to check on compliance with the law that forbids service to anyone under 21. Six failed. No citations were issued, Jay Rasmussen, deputy police chief, suad the purpose of the compliance checks was not to shame to encourage the establishments to chceck their protocols annd procedures before further checks that will occur over the summer – before the town repopulates in the fall with underage college students.
Compliance tally
Complying establishments: 10
Non-complying: 6
Closed: 2
Cancelled (bartender recognized undercover agent): 1
Snubbing the training
Rasmussen expressed surprise and disappointment that many bars were willing to serve a minor. He said the department had invested heavily as recently as a year ago in one-hour to two-hour classes to alert barkeeps and bartenders to be age-conscious and to teach bar bouncers and liquor store clerks how to spot fake IDs.