The Erie branch of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of
Liquor Control Enforcement will start conducting age compliance
checks at McKean County bars, restaurant and liquor stores
immediately.

Enforcement Officer Three Yurich -ðwho asked that his first name
not be released due to the nature of his post -ðof the Erie office
said Monday that checks could start “any time, any day.”

In a release from Yurich’s office, it said the bureau has been
granted the authority, under Act 141 of 2002, “to utilize
individuals between ages 18 and 20 in an attempt to purchase
alcohol from establishments licensed by the state Liquor Control
Board.”

Yurich explained the program is still very new, with a pilot
program being executed about a year ago in Harrisburg. With that
test run complete, the program will now be instituted state-wide,
he said.

Yurich said that although the act was passed in 2002,
regulations for the program had to be developed by the department,
approved and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. He said the
Bulletin is an official journal that publishes regulations of state
boards, commissions and departments.

Although legislators enact laws, they sometimes permit certain
parts of the executive branch to write regulations, Yurich said,
and when that happens, those regulations have to be approved and
published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

Yurich explained there are nine bureau districts in the state,
and the Erie district was granted permission most recently to start
the program. In addition to McKean County, the Erie district also
includes Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren
counties.

The release from the Erie office said the checks are an
“enforcement tool” that aims to reduce the number of
alcohol-related incidents; establish relationships between the
state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement and communities
affected by alcohol-related incidents; create a greater awareness
among liquor licensees regarding the accessibility to alcohol to
underage individuals; and establish a method to collect statistics
on furnishing alcohol to minors and measure success in the
area.

Underage buyers will receive appropriate training by the
PSP-BLCE prior to participating in the program and will be under
the supervision of the bureau during their participation, the press
release said.

“We recruit them based on referrals from professionals in the
criminal justice field,” Yurich said of those who are actually sent
into licensed establishments during the checks. He added they are
not police, and are volunteers who are not paid for their
participation in the program.

Yurich said establishments found in violation of state liquor
law during the checks will face “administrative charges” for sales
to minors and could be fined anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000, along
with a possible suspension or revocation of their liquor
license.

“There will be no criminal action at this time,” he said. He
also explained action will be taken against the establishment’s
owner or owners, not the employee who actually sold alcohol to the
underage participant in the program.