On Nov. 6, two Boston University students were at T’s Pub, located on Commonwealth Avenue, when Boston Police Department officials entered to inspect the bar.
According to an Allston-Brighton Police Department crime report, the 20-year-old students, who admitted to using fake IDs to enter the pub, were summoned to court for illegal possession of alcohol.
However, the students were not the only ones affected by the inspection – T’s was also issued violations for the sale of alcohol to minors and failure to check IDs properly, according to the report.
Incidents such as these are not unprecedented. In Massachusetts, anyone who knowingly serves alcohol to a minor can be either fined up to $2,000, imprisoned for up to a year or both, according to the Massachusetts Legislature website.
Massachusetts Treasury Press Secretary Althea Harney said after receiving a notification of an alcohol violation, a licensee will “present their case at their scheduled hearing.”
The Treasurer’s office oversees the Massachusetts Alcohol Beverage Control Commission, which controls the sale, purchase and possession of alcoholic beverages in the state.
The difference, however, is in the consequences. The owner of a bar or pub found in violation of alcohol furnishing laws can receive anything from “a fine to a suspension to a revocation of the liquor license,” Harney said.
For establishments that serve alcohol, suddenly being unable to serve drinks could seriously cut down on restaurant sales. Owners of bars and restaurants that get caught serving alcohol to minors often face criminal charges as well, “for very serious offenses,” Harney said.
At BU, students who get caught drinking underage must attend a Judicial Affairs hearing, where they can technically be suspended or even expelled, said BU spokesman Colin Riley.
But generally, Riley said, most students take an alcohol education course, or perform some specified amount of community service.
Owners of restaurants such as T’s Pub, who serve alcohol, can be imprisoned and fined for providing alcohol to students under the age of 21, according to the state law.
Julia, a server at Crossroads Irish Pub, located in Kenmore Square, who asked to keep her last name anonymous, said that to her knowledge, the pub has never had serious problems with underage students buying drinks.
She said that the pub’s clean track record is due to its tight security. A security guard sits or stands outside of the pub every night to scan people’s driver licenses and, she added, that scanning cards has been highly effective.
The card readers and scanners can range from about $400 to about $1,500, according to Tokenworks, a website that sells ID scanners.
The card readers, however, are not foolproof, Riley said.
“Unfortunately, many students find ways of getting alcohol, drinking alcohol,” he said.
Riley said that “students are held accountable for their actions,” and that students should “make sure that your experience at BU is one that you’re proud of.”
T’s Pub declined to speak with The Daily Free Press about the violations.
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