Lake County Task Force Releases Alcohol Sales Compliance Data

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The results of a county-wide effort to reel in liquor stores for selling alcohol to underage customers are in. Sponsored by the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force, who partnered with local police departments, the effort saw at least 13 violations.

"Consistency from community to community and monitoring underage drinking issues will help us be successful in addressing this problem and saving lives," said Steve Husak, chairman of the task force. "Our desire is to see 100 percent compliance, but it is refreshing to see that 90 percent of the businesses that were checked realize the seriousness of this issue and did not sell alcohol to the underage participant."

The task force was formed in 2007 and is made up of a "diverse group of citizens including community members, school officials, parents, law enforcement personnel, and other professionals," according to a news release.

The group said that during the spring, especially for high school students with proms and graduations, there is an increase in young people attempting to buy alcohol. Law enforcement agencies worked with local groups and young adults to see if they could purchase alcohol with identification that showed they were under 21. Sale of alcohol to a person under 21 years of age is illegal under local and state laws and is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, fine, or probation.

Here is a breakdown of some of the police departments that assisted in the effort:

• Lake Forest — 14 checks, 4 violations
• Highland Park — 12 checks, 3 violations
• Lake County Sheriff's Office — 55 checks, 2 violations
• Lincolnshire — 18 checks, 2 violations
• Riverwoods — 4 checks, 1 violation
• Lake Zurich — 21 checks, 1 violation
• Kildeer — 11 checks, 0 violations