By Kayli Reese
The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division is looking for new ways to train and educate those who sell alcohol to improve safety in Iowa communities.
Robert Bailey, the division’s public-information officer, said there is not any training mandated in the state for servers to learn how to prevent over-serving patrons who then may be unable to leave an establishment safely. Many other states require this server training for licensed liquor establishments.
“Education is always an excellent starting point,” Bailey said.The division offers free server training online already, he said, and ID checks and underage laws are firmly in place. However, he said, having extra training would be extraordinarily beneficial and create a better understanding for servers on the dangers of a person going out of a bar and risking her or his life and the lives of others, especially when it comes to drunk driving.
According to statistics from the Iowa City police, 116 men and 42 women have been charged with OWI from January to March of this year.
Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde said any measure the division wants to take to promote safety would be encouraged by the Iowa City police.
“Any program that is designed to keep our roads safer for pedestrians, bicycles, and motorists we would support,” he said.
Another aspect of keeping bars and other liquor-licensed businesses more responsible, Bailey said, would be to find where an intoxicated individual was last served if they are stopped by officers or pulled over.
Once this is established, he said, the license of the establishment to serve alcohol could be reviewed and the business could be educated on safe-serving practices. By doing so, Bailey said, the division can gather data to identify which licensed businesses need more education.
If officers find a business has over-served someone, Bailey said, the division could fine or suspend the business, or both. This is an administrative action by the division, he said, not a criminal or civil charge. Proving over-service at a bar, though, is very difficult, he said, especially when no video evidence exists.
Jenna Gathercole, a manager at Mondo’s Saloon who has worked there for four years, said she feels Mondo’s is one of the better bars at safe-serving practices. Given her experience at Mondo’s and her perception of other bars, she said, her bartenders are good at cutting people off.
“It’s not worth it to us to over-serve,” Gathercole said.
She said the idea of more training is a good one, and she feels it would not hurt Mondo’s at all. A bar may lose business from one hammered individual, but business would not hurt from practicing safe service.
Bailey said he hopes every licensed liquor establishment can go through more training to ensure the safety of communities throughout the state of Iowa. It is a topic, he said, not many think about until they must.
“[Over-serving] goes unnoticed a lot until something tragic happens,” he said.
