SALES TO TEEN-AGERS WERE EYE-OPENER

The ease with which teen-agers purchased both alcohol and tobacco in Cape Girardeau during a recent compliance check is unsettling. Under police auspices, four teen-agers ages 16 and 17 visited 15 convenience stores. These teens, all under the legal age for purchasing either cigarettes or alcohol, were able to purchase tobacco at a dozen of the stores and alcohol at eight shops.

The teens didn't lie about their age. They didn't show fake identification cards. They didn't dress up to look older.

Even Cape Girardeau Police Cpl. Barry Hovis, who accompanied the teen-agers, was surprised at how easy the youths could buy tobacco and alcohol.

It suggests that in-store enforcement may have been somewhat lax, since clerks were so oblivious to the repercussions. It also demonstrated that employees were not taking the time to check IDs for tobacco and alcohol.

The four teens and Hovis traveled to the stores in an unmarked police car. At each stop two teens entered the store a few minute apart. One attempted to buy cigarettes and the other alcohol.

Police issued a dozen summonses to the clerks but plan to forward the results to the state's Division of Liquor Control. That's certainly appropriate. The problem is not just one of careless clerks. The stores themselves carry a heavy responsibility to train and monitor all workers to prevent underage sales. Indications are that some store owners and managers have stepped up their training for clerks as a result of the compliance check.

Some of the workers requested to see the teens IDs but never checked the dates. That's an exercise in futility.

The police have indicated that future compliance checks will be conducted. Since the incidence of wrongdoing was so high, that is probably a good idea.

This compliance check should send a strong message to retailers and parents.

The stores should realize there can be no tolerance for sales of alcohol and tobacco to minors. Parents should advise their teens that police are cracking down on underage sales. Possession of alcohol by a minor can mean a criminal record.

This crackdown may become an irritant for some adults. Several stores are now carding all those who buy tobacco and alcohol -- not just those who look underage. This minor inconvenience will be well worth the time if it helps teen-agers and clerks abide by the law.