Bar Allegedly Serves Underaged Patron Involved in Fatal Accident

Case Overview

This case involves an underage male patron who was admitted to a bar located near the campus of a large state university. The man was a student at the university, and had joined several of his fraternity brothers, who were above 21, for a night out. The underaged student drove to the downtown area where the bar was located, and proceeded to enter a bar and was served alcohol. After several hours, the student attempted to drive back to campus and fatally struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Questions to the Law Enforcement expert and their responses

Please describe your bar management experience.

I have experience working in bar/nightclub venues providing and managing security services for the establishments.

What are the proper protocols in place to ensure underage patrons are not admitted to bars and/or served alcohol at similar establishments?

Venue staff (including security) should be trained and certified in the applicable alcohol service training program required by state statutes. This includes the recognition of false or altered identification and dealing with refusal to serve intoxicated persons. ID screening should be conducted at the door (depending on the venue) or at the very least by the staff member serving the patron.

What are the protocols bartenders are supposed to adhere to regarding overserving and underage patrons?

Bartenders, wait staff and security personnel should be observant of the patrons for signs of overservice (i.e. large amounts of consumption by individuals) and signs of intoxication (i.e. slurred speech, stumbling, sleeping, uncooperative attitude, etc.) and take action to stop serving them and safely remove them from the establishment so they do not harm themselves or others.

What behaviors do bartenders typically look for to determine if a patron should not continue to be served?

About the expert

This highly qualified expert has over four decades of experience in security and risk management. He has a BA from National Louis University and an MA from Webster University. He is a certified fraud examiner and protection professional with memberships in the American Society for Industrial Security and the Building Owners and Managers Association. He has served in positions ranging from chief of police to senior executive roles as security director and vice president of security and operations for companies like the United Armored Services, Merchandise Mart Properties and a city police department. He has even served as an adjunct professor for Northwestern University and is currently a managing director for a corporate security consultancy in Illinois.