Pubdate: 8 Feb 1999 Source: Evansville Courier (IN) Copyright: 1999 The Evansville Courier Contact: http://courier.evansville.net/ LEGISLATURE TRYING TO CUT TEEN DRINKING BILL WOULD LET POLICE USE MINORS TO TRY TO BUY ALCOHOL Beer, wine and liquor sellers are fighting a proposal to let police officers send minors into stores and bars to try to buy alcohol. Indiana senators looking for ways to curb underage drinking said catching businesses in the act of selling to people under 21 would force companies to be more diligent in making sure clerks check identification. But lobbyists for liquor stores, hotels, bars and grocery stores contend the state is advocating "sting operations" to unfairly entrap and punish small businesses. The debate is headed to the Senate floor, where legislation allowing the undercover minor checks is eligible for votes this week. A coalition including Indiana and Purdue universities and anti-drug groups is pushing several bills to cut underage drinking in Indiana. Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield, sponsored the first two bills for The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking. The first allows the random checks. The second bill forbids workers under 21 from selling alcohol. Gard said police need more tools to catch illegal alcohol purchases, and that Indiana needs to do more policing of the stores and bars. Enough members of the Senate Public Policy Committee agreed at a hearing last week, but amended her proposals slightly before barely voting to forward the bills to the full Senate. One measure limited police to using people 18 or older in random checks. Sen. Bud Meeks, R-LaGrange, said he worried police could put young teens in a dangerous situation by sending them into stores to buy liquor. But coalition members said Hoosier teens and underage college students are drinking too much and putting people in danger. That makes it necessary to run routine, random checks to find out who's selling to them. Supporters of tougher restrictions cite a December poll that found Hoosiers age 18 to 20 found it very easy to buy alcoholic beverages in Indiana stores and bars. "I've witnessed friends, roommates and other students bring alcohol right into the dorm and brag about getting it from the liquor stores," said Nancy Thornton, a recent Indiana State University graduate. "It is very easy to get." But representatives of retail outlets told senators that problem is being overstated by supporters of tougher restrictions. They also said real solutions would involve the young people breaking the law by buying alcohol before they're old enough. "My fear is for the 20-year-old who is trained and coached to go into these stores," said John Livengood, an attorney representing three lobbying groups with members who sell alcoholic beverages. - --- MAP posted-by: Mike Gogulski