Document text
MPD sting finds stores selling beer to minors By JULIE SWENSEN In a police crackdown on alcohol sales to minors, underage decoys bought beer in eight out of 11 Medford convenience stores targeted. The decoys were Medford Police Department community service officers, all under 21. They showed identification with their correct dates of birth, police said. Medford police Sgt. Steve Johnson said the sting was prompted by a recent spate of kids arriving at junior high and high schools after drinking. He said police have been citing the students, and they found the kids were buying beer at local convenience stores. In response, Officer Richard Renfro started a community policing project in which he sent the two underage community service officers into stores to try and buy beer. At one of the stores contacted Tuesday, a manager at Murrish's Market said the clerk who sold the beer was a retired teacher on her second day on the job and just made a mistake. "It's just a real fluke and a mishap," Nancy Murrish said. As a follow-up, police plan to teach the convenience store owners and clerks about alcohol laws and the proper procedures in asking for I.D. Police plan to do more operations in the future. South Medford High School Principal Cynda Rickert said that if a student is under the influence of alcohol at school, and it's the first offense, the student is suspended and encouraged to get help. Students can "buy back" suspension days if they'll see a counselor and get some education about drinking, she said. On the second offense, expulsion is an option. That's a standard practice in the district, Rickert said. The stores where the officers were able to buy beer were: Thrifty Nifty Market, 223 W. Jackson; Murrish's Market, 424 S. Peach St.; Woodland Heights Market, 1501 Prune St.; Country Store, 1670 Kings Highway; KK Quikstop, 820 S. Riverside Avenue; The Little Market, 523 S. Central Avenue; KK Food Stop, 2797 Merriman Road; Quick Shop Market, 3320 North Pacific Highway. Three of the stores refused to let the minors buy alcohol: OK Market, at 1202 N. Riverside Avenue; Elk City Market, 3338 N. Pacific Highway; and Rose Grocery, 201 W. Jackson St. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA