PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The results of a survey commissioned by the Utah Alcohol Policy Coalition in 1995 revealed that 25 percent of the youth surveyed indicated they had unencumbered access for the purchase of alcohol from convenience stores, grocery stores, and state liquor stores. Of the youth who had purchased alcohol, 22 percent indicated that the seller had been under 21 years old, and 11 percent seldom or never had been asked for identification.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Cops In Shops project was the reduction of retail sales of alcohol to Utah's youth through two objectives:

• Establish a collaborative effort with retail stores that sell alcohol
• Increase enforcement of Utah's existing liquor laws

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Cops In Shops project was demonstrated in Utah in several jurisdictions: Salt Lake City, West Valley City, the city of Sandy, South Salt Lake, Salt Lake County and the city of Logan. The strength of the project was its strong collaborative efforts involving the Utah Highway Patrol, the police departments and sheriff's offices of the demonstration sites, and the retail establishments in which most demonstrations took place. The project featured several key activities designed to promote cooperation between retailers and law enforcement. For example:

• The various law enforcement agencies and retail stores developed an approach for operation of undercover activities in cooperating stores
• Undercover police officers patrolled outside or set up surveillance inside the retail stores
• Officers offered prevention training to retail employees—training that could be used in recognizing false identification
• The law enforcement agencies collaborated with store managers to report employees who had consistently disregarded under-aged identification checks and had provided alcohol to minors
• Surveillance activities included identification of second-party purchase attempts, allowing officers to intervene prior to the point of sale
• The law enforcement agencies conducted "sting" operations in which under-aged youth were used in an attempt to purchase alcohol
• Cooperating stores displayed posters and decals alerting shoppers that identification would be checked on purchases of alcohol and that undercover officers might be present

RESULTS The Cops In Shops project was a success in each of the demonstration areas, allowing expansion of the project to include two rural areas, and prompting 20 additional law enforcement agencies to apply for implementation of the program in their communities for 1998. Retail stores were pleased with the project's positive approach, which focused on preventing youth from purchasing alcohol instead of the more traditional focus on illegal sales. Retailers were also pleased with a side effect of the project—a reduction in theft and armed robberies. More than 200 "attempts to purchase" citations were issued by law enforcement during the first quarter of 1996, and some retail stores lost their liquor licenses for violations of laws prohibiting sales of alcohol to minors.

FUNDING   Section 402: $58,000 CONTACT     Cherilynn Uden Utah Safe and Sober Youth Coalition 288 N 1460 W Box 144240 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4240 (801) 528–6864