PORTLAND, Ore. - As part of the Portland Police Bureau’s 'Enhanced Patrol Missions' for Spring Break, Portland Police Officers, Drugs and Vice Division officers and School Police Division in partnership with Portland Police Cadets and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) conducted a mission to identify employees of businesses who sell alcohol to minors.

The mission was conducted on March 28, 2006, and included 100 randomly selected businesses located throughout the city.

Of the 96 businesses that were open, employees in 28 of those businesses sold alcohol to minors.

Portland Police Cadets, all under the age of 21, were sent in to local businesses to attempt to buy alcohol. The cadets used personal identification, which plainly indicated they were not old enough to buy alcohol.

Some of the employees did not ask to see identification, while others did not check the identification closely enough.

The employees were cited for Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

Fines to businesses for selling alcohol to minors ranges from $990 to over $1,600.

The employee who sold the alcohol could face a fine of up to $350.

The missions are conducted throughout the year and annually every Spring Break.

There were 80 percent more citations issued in this year’s Spring Break mission than in last year’s mission.

“Nationally, underage drinking resulted in 2,283 fatalities in one year alone,” says Chief Derrick Foxworth. “And, as we can see from the results of our mission, minors’ access to alcohol continues to be a problem in our community. These missions are important and we thank the Cadets and our partners, the OLCC, for their participation in this worthwhile endeavor.”