LIHU‘E — The days of getting a slap on the hand for selling alcohol to minors are gone. Arrests and hefty fines now await those who break the law. The Kaua‘i Police Department and the Department of Liquor Control have
LIHU‘E — The days of getting a slap on the hand for selling alcohol to minors are gone. Arrests and hefty fines now await those who break the law.
The Kaua‘i Police Department and the Department of Liquor Control have been conducting sting operations on Kaua‘i for years and businesses continue to get caught selling alcohol to minors.
“The license is vertical, and on the top in red, bold letters it tells you when the person is going to turn 21. It’s getting to be kinda idiot-proof,” said a high-ranked KPD officer, who asked to not to be identified to avoid jeopardizing the sting operations.
Businesses generally receive a $2,000 fine. But at the discretion of the Liquor Control Commission, $1,000 is usually suspended, and then thrown out after a year if the offender does not get caught again.
In the last year, the KPD added an extra deterrent to the stings.
“We just started doing the arrests this last year, and I think it’s been a bigger impact than just giving a citation,” said the KPD officer. “If they can post bail, they are released. If not, they sit for 48 hours in jail until they see a judge.”
The Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i trains minors to become decoys.
The minors cannot lie when asked about their age, and always carry valid IDs. The KPD officer said he can only imagine how many with fake IDs are getting away with underage drinking.
Liquor Control Director Eric Honma said that in this year’s first round of sting operations, about 40 percent of establishments failed. Two weeks later, after The Garden Island had published a front-page article about the stings, the rate of failure was still 40 percent.
Many business owners who got caught reportedly told commissioners their employee made a mathematical error while reading the age on the card. But the KPD officer said half of those arrested don’t even ask for the ID.
“It tells you when they turn 21. You don’t really have to do math if you know what today’s date is,” he said.
The KPD officer said if the businesses were doing their job right, no one would have to go before the commission to face the fine.
The sting operations are “Mickey Mouse” compared to the potential consequences of selling alcohol to minors, he said.
The minor who was drinking may end up driving home and getting into a wreck, causing someone’s death. “Most of the time the death is from an innocent person,” the KPD officer said.
The stings are made possible through grants from the state Department of Health.
Recent businesses that got caught in recent stings, and had to appear before the commission are: The Beach House, Pacific Island Bistro, King & I Thai Cuisine, The Lodge at Koke‘e, Hanama‘ulu Cafe, Olympic Cafe, Norberto’s El Cafe, The Bull Shed, Po‘ipu Tropical Burgers, Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Co., and Kountry Kitchen.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
