News : Benton County Celebrates 90% Alcohol Compliance Rating

The Benton County Above the Influence Coalition, the Area Substance Abuse Council, and the Benton County Sheriff's Department collaborated to complete alcohol compliance checks for Benton County in February of this year. Benton County businesses had a 90% compliance rate, a respectable rate, although it remains the same as the rate in the spring of 2014. Alcohol compliance checks are a strategy used to confirm that businesses are checking IDs and refusing sales to minors. This strategy has been identified as necessary due to youth within the county reporting that alcohol can be easy to attain. Through these efforts steps are taken to ensure that retail access is not an avenue used by underage individuals to attain alcohol in our county. Deputy Dave Upah has assisted with these checks since June 2012, partnering with various youth to complete the task. The Benton County Above the Influence Coalition and the Area Substance Abuse Council would like to congratulate the businesses that passed compliance checks in February 2016, including: Blairstown Quick Stop (Blairstown), Casey's General Stores (Belle Plaine, Urbana, and Vinton), D.J. C-Stores (Atkins, Norway, and Van Horne), Fareway Stores (Vinton), Fast Stop (Vinton), Go America (Urbana), Grieder's Beverage Depot (Belle Plaine), John's Qwik Stop (Vinton), Newhall First Stop (Newhall), Roy's Foodland (Shellsburg), Shellsburg Quick Stop (Shellsburg), and Zip Mart (Belle Plaine). These businesses continue to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring alcohol is not being sold to minors. If any business fails during a round of compliance checks there is follow up contact made to provide resources and training for their employees. This is accomplished by providing TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) for any business that is interested. TIPS is an internationally recognized program that teaches, among other things, how to prevent intoxication among patrons, as well as recognizing and effectively dealing with impairment to ensure a safe environment. For more information about the Benton County Above the Influence Coalition visit www.bcati.com. - By Lindsey Ungs, Certified Prevention Specialist, Area Substance Abuse Council