The program was modeled after a similar effort in Cedar City and combined with research conducted in Utah County to most effectively combat concerns with alcohol sales to minors, Nance explained.

In addition to free training, EASY includes consistent compliance checks with graduated penalties for those who fail. It also has an incentive program built in to reward and acknowledge those clerks and cashiers who pass compliance checks.

"If they pass their compliance check, we will send a gift certificate in a letter to the manager of the store to give to the employee who did not sell," Bird said.

Store employees who have completed the EASY training are issued badges called beer-handlers permits, which the ordinance adopted by the cities requires them to wear.

The first time a store employee sells alcohol to someone under 21, the store owner or manager receives a warning, according to the ordinance. The employee who made the sell is charged with a class B misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine, has their beer-handlers permit revoked for one year and depending on store policy, may face an additional fine or even termination.

"We want to put the behavior on the person who makes the mistake," Bird said. "The owners or managers can't be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Why should they get dinged for somebody's choices?"

A second offense results in the store getting a civil fine based on city or town ordinances. The store can also have their alcohol license suspended for a period of time.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com