I don't think they should have been given a 'fair warning' much less should they announce when they're done, for obvious reasons. Doesn't this kind of thing go on all the time only they don't make a press release?

This is legal.
It's an effective way to control the sale of alcohol to minors. What else will keep the Quickie Mart counterperson honest but the fear of a huge fine to the store and the loss of their job?
Perhaps the only reason it made the papers was to give the store operators and bartenders in the area a fair warning.

Also, since tobacco (18 Years of age) may also be mentioned in this forum, I will give a couple of definitions that many people may not understand. I'm using caps just to indicate the important terms.

An OFFENDER who is age less than age 17 is considered a JUVENILE.

A VICTIM who is less than age 18, is considered a CHILD.

So, whether we use the word CHILD or JUVENILE tells you automatically whether we're talking about a VICTIM or OFFENDER, respectively.

And, a 17 year old is considered adult as an OFFENDER, but not adult as a VICTIM.

Clear as mud? Thought so!

I find it kind of interesting that when a young person is involved in an accident involving alcohol as a driver that people are immediately pointing fingers at the people that provide that alcohol to the minor, yet when the police/sheriff department make attempts to root out the people/businesses that do, then they are "entrapping" them. It's usually the same people/business establishments that minors know they can go and get alcohol over and over. However as law enforcement if you target those businesses specifically then they claim they are getting picked on, so to prevent that, law enforcement has to go to every establishment to be fair. Don't break the law and you won't get into trouble!!!

OK, without getting into debate on the merits, I will shed a little information based on how these investigations are typically run.

No, they do not employ children in these investigations. They employ adults who have not reached the legal age to purchase alcohol.

Secondly, depending on the investigation, there may not be actual completion of the transaction. It is testing whether the clerk meets their legal responsibility to ensure they are selling to a person lawfully.

Having said that, even if the transaction is completed - under the management and control of law enforcement personnel - it is the same type of situation employed in unlawful drug trafficking. By that I mean that drug investigations often involve the actual purchase of a controlled substance in a strictly controlled manner, either by an undercover officer or by someone under the control and management of law enforcement. This is a valid, lawful investigative technique, as determined by the courts.

Many types of offenses are investigated by sending some sort of operative to determine the legitimacy of a complaint or suspicion, or to determine compliance with laws, rules, and orders.

The article states that the underage people will be "young adults". I take that to mean that they will be people between the ages of 18 and 20 -- not legally old enough to buy alchohol, but old enough to be considered an adult. I see nothing wrong with this compliance check. The young people are going to be attempting to purchase alchohol, not consume it. If it keeps the bartenders in this town on their toes, I'm all for it.

garyprimer has a valid point. Does the end justify the means?

I don't see the word children being used in the storys topic, I see it using young adults....... Places that serve alcohol to underage need to get thier alcohol lisense taken away. As for manufacturing a crime its a crime thats been around for awhile. Whats it going to take, maybe your underage child getting served, then getting into an accident taking some ones life? I bet you will be angry as all heck for something to be done...

Using children in a police action like this is perverse, and abhorrent. Asking a bartender to serve you alcohol if you're underage while working for the police sure sounds like entrapment.

All the bartender has to do is ask for identification. The kid won't have a fake ID that the police have provided him.

Ask for it, check it and tell them to leave. Sounds pretty simple to me.

The underage people who attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages are breaking the law. It is not okay to break the law because a law officer tells you to. I have a real problem with these sting operations, not because I want to protect lawbreakers, but because law enforcement is manufacturing crimes, something that I do not feel is a legitimate function of law enforcement.