Taking A Stand: Illegal beer sales not treated equal
Punishment needs to be fair and equal, or at least as close as we can get to making justice the same for you as it is for me.
With the recent undercover beer operation in which 22 local businesses were allegedly caught selling alcohol to a 20-year-old operative, we are faced with what is one of the most unevenly enforced laws I’ve ever heard of, that being how the city enforces the beer law and how the county enforces the beer law.
If you will recall last year, the businesses who were caught selling beer to minors in the city were given a choice of paying a $250 fine or serving a 30-day license suspension. Duh. Wonder which one they’d take. They all chose the fine of course seeing a month of no beer license would cost thousands of dollars.
However, at the same time, the businesses located outside the city limits were slammed with a 90-day license suspension, without a choice of paying a fine. They broke the same law but didn’t pay the same price. The only difference was where they were located.
Let me show you an example. Let’s say we both get stopped for speeding the same day, both going 20 mph over the speed limit. Now, in my case, I get caught speeding by a city officer on Spring Street. He writes me a ticket and I pay $102 to the city for my crime.
However, in your case, you’re stopped by a deputy on Yager Road and, instead of a fine, you’re license is revoked for three months. How would you feel? Would this be fair?
Well, this is pretty well the same thing. I agree we need to check businesses routinely and yes, there needs to be a punishment to encourage them to check IDs. There were 22 businesses which sold despite an operation just last year. I don’t care how old the agent looked, unless it’s grandma buying beer, they need to be checked.
Hey, when you card a person who is, let’s say, over 30, it makes their day because it’s almost like you’re saying they look young. Frankly, the only people who get mad over being carded are people who don’t have a license to show you because it’s already revoked for DUI or people who are underage and have just been busted.
What I’m saying is that the city and county need to get together and make the punishments the same for everyone. Sure, they are enforced by two separate entities, but this is one big community where municipal lines really don’t mean a thing.
Just look at the beer store in Newtown. If the owner is found guilty, then he will lose thousands in revenue because he is a quarter mile west of the city line.
What I propose is the city and county have their beer boards get together and decide an equal punishment and put it in writing. It’s up to them whether it’s a fine like the city has or automatic suspension like the county has, so long as it’s equal. I understand it probably couldn’t be enforced this time since the operation has already been finished, but it could avoid uneven punishment in the future.
As it is now, we are punishing businesses for locating outside the city limits as they run a much greater risk if an employees sells beer to an operative, and it is almost always an employee, not an owner, who makes the sale. I say we make it all even so then there can be no argument.
Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].