Two problems were identified by the police department in Lincoln, Nebraska: minors purchasing alcohol illegally and both minors and adults driving while intoxicated. Lincoln has more than 80 liquor establishments in the downtown area. Several local liquor establishments approached the city about the growing problem, on weekends, of minors misrepresenting their age, entering the premises and then purchasing alcohol. In Nebraska, it is unlawful for minors to attempt to purchase alcohol; it is also illegal for minors to attempt to gain entrance into an establishment by misrepresenting one's age.

Drinking and driving is a problem in downtown Lincoln. In 1994, 52 people were involved in alcohol-related crashes in the downtown area. Over the three years prior to the program, approximately 17 percent of all crashes involving drunk drivers occurred in the downtown area.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of Badges in Bars is to decrease the number of minors and already intoxicated people who gain access to drinking establishments, thus decreasing DWI driving. The objectives included:

• To impact minors who drive motor vehicles under the influence of alcohol
• To prevent already intoxicated people from continuing to "bar hop"
• To provide the bars, as well as the downtown area, with a safer and more controlled atmosphere
• To help prevent fights and disruptions brought on by the effects of alcohol
• To train bar employees to identify appropriate and lawful patrons at establishment entrances.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The project took a two-pronged approach: enforcement and education. Three additional police officers of the Lincoln Police Department (LPD) were assigned to work the downtown bar area on Friday and Saturday nights, two weekends a month. Officers moved to several bars within an evening, to help a variety of establishments and to make the public more aware of the new program. One plain-clothes officer worked at the door checking ID's, while two uniformed officers were nearby ready to assist if needed. In addition, individual officers conducted education programs at the University of Nebraska (located near downtown). They spoke at new student orientation and other events to inform students of the new policies, in an effort to prevent students from attempting to enter bars. A liaison was maintained with the Mayor's Traffic Safety Committee and several events relating to traffic safety were attended.

RESULTS

The LPD identified 22 bars in the downtown area to receive attention. In the course of the one-year project, the Lincoln Police Department accomplished the following:

• 5,023 ID cards were checked. Appropriate arrests were made (false ID, minor misrepresenting age, altered ID, minor in possession, false information on ID)
• 96 highly intoxicated people were turned away from downtown bars
• There was a reduction in calls-for-service for fights and disruptions occurring as a result of excessive alcohol use
• The LPD trained 87 doorpersons at the various bars using a display board of confiscated false ID's. Throughout the year, officers assessed the effectiveness of the training and made revisions as necessary.

In a survey conducted by the Lincoln Responsible Hospitality Council, bar owners commented that the Badges in Bars project was a valuable resource and that it was "working great." A report from an informant stated that "the person(s) manufacturing the ID's [are] not making them anymore because of the increased police activity at the bars."

There was a 21 percent reduction in DUI/DWI arrests from 1994 to 1995 in Lincoln. Anecdotal information implies that the number of impaired drivers is declining and programs like Badges in Bars are contributing.