News : Benton County Celebrates 90% Alcohol Compliance Rating

The Benton County Above the Influence Coalition and the Benton County Sheriff’s Department collaborated to complete alcohol compliance checks in Benton County on April 5, 2014 as part of the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) project. The SPF SIG project is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Benton County businesses had a 90% compliance rate, a respectable rate, although not quite as high as the 100% achieved in the fall of 2012.

Alcohol compliance checks are a strategy used to confirm that businesses are checking IDs and refusing sales to minors. Deputy Dave Upah has assisted with these checks since June 2012, partnering with various youth to complete the task.

The Benton County Above the Influence Coalition would like to congratulate the businesses that passed compliance checks in April 2014, including: Alco Discount Store (Vinton), Newhall First Stop (Newhall), D.J. C-Stores (Norway and Van Horne), Grieder’s Beverage Depot (Belle Plaine), Zip Mart (Belle Plaine), John’s Qwik Stop (Vinton), Fareway (Vinton), Keystone Mini-Mart (Keystone), and Ehlinger’s Express (Vinton). These businesses continue to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring alcohol is not being sold to minors.

For more information about the Benton County Above the Influence Coalition or the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant, visit www.bcati.com.