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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New driver’s license debuts in alcohol
compliance checks
Edina, Minn., May 23, 2005 – Five months after the State of Minnesota began producing more secure
identification cards, the City of Edina used them to test age verification for alcohol sales.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division of Driver and Vehicle Services began issuing new
Minnesota driver’s licenses in December, and on May 11, the Edina Police Department conducted
alcohol compliance checks with three underage “decoys,” one of whom had the new identification card.
The new licenses have features that increase security and prevent fraud. Features include
“retroreflective” images of loons, fine line printing over the cardholder’s digital photo, and a new
randomly generated license number.
Police checked a total of 36 establishments licensed to sell off-sale alcohol in Edina, and all the
businesses were tested with either an old or new driver’s license. Of the 36 establishments, three --
Sidney’s, Residence Inn by Marriott and Marshall Field’s Lakeshore Grill – served alcohol to the minors. Two of
them failed to check identification, and only one served alcohol after looking at a license.
When Edina performed the first compliance checks in 1999, 40 percent of establishments did not comply. In the last
round of checks, 12 percent committed infractions.
City of Edina City of Edina
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Lelan Bosch
Communications Intern
Phone 952-833-9537
Fax 952-826-0390
www.CityofEdina.com
PRESS RELEASE
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“I think it’s a pretty good success rate,” said Police Sgt. Steve Stroh. “Our goal is always to have 100 percent
compliance, but people make mistakes. They can learn from that and hopefully improve from there.”
The Edina Police Department checks alcohol compliance by sending underage volunteers accompanied by
undercover officers into licensed establishments. The officers sit with or near the decoys to witness servers’ actions
when the decoy asks to be served alcohol. Decoys carry their own legal driver’s licenses, and if asked, they tell
servers their actual ages.
Prior to the actual checks, Stroh mailed letters to owners and managers of the establishments informing them that
the compliance checks would be performed within 60 days. With the letter, Stroh mailed colored sample images of
the old and new licenses. The printout educates restaurateurs and servers about the age identification markings
such as the red photo border.
Compliance inspections are performed twice per year, and the infraction history is based on a two-year cycle,
meaning businesses that go two or more years without a violation start over with their first infraction. First time
offenders are fined $500, and after the second infraction, businesses are assessed a $1,000 fine and their licenses
may be suspended for three days. The third violation costs $2,000 with a seven-day license suspension, and alcohol
licenses may be revoked after the fourth infraction in the two-year period.
All the businesses that failed the recent checks are first-time offenders in the last two years. Marshall Field’s
Lakeshore Grill violated alcohol compliance last summer, but because the restaurant changed ownership since then,
the law states that it starts over with its first violation.
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For the servers who distributed alcohol to the decoys, the officers submitted requests to the City Attorney to charge
for gross misdemeanors. Stroh said businesses that educate their servers will be more likely to comply with the law.
“It’s important to focus on employees to make sure they stay diligent with the checks,” he said.
For more information on the compliance checks, contact the Edina Police Department, 952-826-1610.
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