Danvers Police To Conduct Alcohol Checks At All Bars, Restaurants

DANVERS, MA — Members of the Danvers Police Department will conduct annual alcohol compliance checks of all licensed bars and restaurants in the town over the next few weeks.

Danvers police released a public notice informing the establishments of the impending checks, which are designed to ensure that all businesses are serving alcohol to those over 21 years old, as well as adhering to all rules and regulations surrounding the serving of alcoholic beverages.

"The compliance checks are part of the town of Danvers' continued efforts to prevent problems related to underage alcohol consumption, curb alcohol abuse and reduce operating under the influence incidents involving teenagers," police said.

Danvers Police Chief James Lovell told the Select Board in February that of the 50 businesses with alcohol licenses in the town the department was able to perform a compliance test on 45 of them on Dec. 20, 2022, with 44 of them passing the test.

The test was conducted using a 19-old-boy and an 18-year-old girl trained to enter a bar or restaurant as a "decoy" and order an alcoholic beverage.

While 44 of the 45 passed, Lovell said the 18-year-old girl was served at one Newbury Street restaurant when she entered, went to the bar, ordered a Bud Light bottle, and left when it was placed in front of her.

The restaurant in question served a one-day alcohol permit suspension for a first offense with the penalty held in abeyance for one year unless there was an additional violation during that time.

The restaurant served the suspension on March 21.

An attorney for the restaurant told the Select Board at a March hearing that "the incident did occur" and that the waiter involved was "relieved of his duties."

Lovell told the Select Board that notice of the upcoming compliance checks on an undisclosed day and time is posted via social media. While he said the notices are no longer published in a local newspaper, Patch did publish the compliance test notice from the department both in 2021 and 2022.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)