Red stripe expands: Anchorage Assembly passes law requiring servers to check for ‘no booze’ licenses

By
Suzanne Downing
-
102

The Anchorage Assembly passed another restrictive law on Tuesday night, this one requiring all bars and restaurants to check the identifications of people ordering alcohol. Already by state law liquor store clerks in Alaska are required to check for the telltale “red stripe” on drivers’ licenses that indicate there’s a court order that prohibits the buyer from purchasing alcohol. Usually that person is on parole or has “conditions of release” that require them to not buy or consume alcohol.

The Assembly voted unanimously to expand that law beyond liquor stores to other establishments. It takes effect March 1.

According to AS 04.16.160, a person who is restricted from purchasing alcohol may not knowingly enter or remain in a licensed premises to obtain or consume alcohol, per AS 04.16.047. The Anchorage law now puts the burden on the server to check the drivers’ licenses of those ordering booze to screen out the 2,100 out of 730,000 (.28%) Alaskans who are not allowed to purchase a drink.

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102 COMMENTS

  1. How is that the servers or establishments responsibility to police the public? They already check ID! The assembly is out of control about control. Have been for years. You cannot pass laws to change peoples behavior. Before you know it you will have laws that don’t allow us to leave our homes. Oh wait! That is already coming…..just watch and wait as they slowly implement these changes. We must not comply!

    • Bartenders already have a legal responsibility to turn people away who don’t have the common sense to stop drinking and people with a red stripe have shown the tendency that they have no self control. Like I said, it’s no different than telling someone they’re too young to drink. Or is that the cop’s job too?

    • I kind of agree how dare the government make laws about changing someone’s behavior ….. I bet you don’t feel that way about laws against abortion do you?

    • Irony.
      Law enforcement, under threat of punishment, requiring restaurant servers to enforce their laws.
      Ridiculous obsession some politicians have with alcohol.
      Pot shops on every corner – that’s ok.
      Public intoxication, open air drug use, loitering, trespassing, shoplifting, public sex, panhandling – all against the law – but not enforced by the police because of this commie city council desire to let the homeless do whatever they please without consequences..
      But, law enforcement is poised to pull over and ticket – otherwise law abiding citizens – traveling to and from work on the Glenn Highway – like vultures preying on the weak.

      Anyone starting to understand what just happened in the Presidential election – WE ARE SICK OF THE NANNY STATE B.S.!

    • You do realize that they can be fined and possibly jailed for serving people who legally are not supposed to be consuming? That includes those with the red strip licenses, it’s one of the first things you learn in a TAPS class to get certified to even sell alcohol

    • Spend some time in an ER, ride-along with law enforcement, volunteer in a SAFE House or with Foster Care (or watch newer cop shows with body and dash cams). The Unwillingness to self-monitor alcohol use takes a tremendous toll on humanity physically, mentally and financially. If people did the right thing there would be no reason to have laws or law enforcement. It’s only right that the people making a profit off booze take some responsibility for those who can’t control themselves.

      BTW – marijuana-only users seldom beat the crap out of family, friends, animals or other beings, kill someone with their car, or destroy property etc.

      BTW again. For the first time people can have 98% control over being pregnant. Once again, poor planning and lack of self-control and personal responsibility create the need for abortion.

        • “………What’s abortion got to do with it?……..”
          Life, death, and government intrusion……….or the lack thereof. If you have to ask, you’ll probably never understand the answer.

    • FYI.people, who’s making laws? These people do.this as justification of their existence! If no more laws are put in place they’re out of jobs. It’s been questioned, what is 178,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start on fixing the world. You can’t legislate morality but what can anyone really do? Until all the stupid is fixed we have what we have to deal with one way or another. This is just one of those attempts to fix something that needs fixed one way or another, kind of like putting breath checkers in cars to see if you pass to opperate a car, makes more sense to me but again, who and how keeps a job doing what. Then there’s the option to make all cars Johnny Cabs like in the movie Total recall, take any chance of human failure out of the equation. But then we enter another realm of stupid, kind of like in the song 2525 or whatever yrs it is. Arms and legs limp at your side, nothing to do because a machine is doing it for you. Sounds like a good excuse to get plowed and stay that way, no responsibilities at all. Who we going to blame when A.I. fails us? I’ve known and known of people going to jail for riding bicycles, lawn mowers, farm tractors while under the influence and again it all gives someone something to do with justification. It gave me something to do when I got called out to pick up the tractors, mowers etc. by the law when the stupid gets stopped for being on the wrong side of the road, having to drag the vehicles out of the rivers,lakes or as in one case out of a families dining room of a double wide modular the was pulled apart by a guys 280z Datsun when his woman got mad stupid drunk and caught him cheating. I’ve always wanted to live in Alaska but also always wondered about the things people up there did during the cold dark months, get drunk apparently and not be aware or care.

      • “……You can’t legislate morality…….”
        If there was ever a stupid meme that was overused for half a century of cultural collapse, there it is. Yeah, we “can’t legislate morality”, but we can certainly put immoral people in jail where they belong………if we can get the immoral out of positions of power.

  3. I think this is a great idea. It’s not too much different than a mandatory age check to see if someone is legal. Everyone is, ID checked even if you’re old and gray, and on a walker, it’s just the law.

    • Not at bars we’re not. Haven’t had to show ID at a bar, distillery, or restaurant since I was in my early twenties in any town in any state that I have resided in or visited. Only liquor stores.

      • Depends on the establishment. Some places I have been to do not check because you look old enough.

        Other places check everyone, from those who look like fresh faced 21 year old’s all the way to those who are covered in white hair.

        • In Wisconsin if you don’t have ID we just ask if it’s for your mom or dad. Lol But kids can drink alcohol in bars and restaurants at any age under 18 as long as their parents or legal guardian is with them.

    • Oh, wow. Giving the all-powerful state more power is a good idea in your mind.
      Who would have thought that?

        • No limit on government intrusion into private lives is enough when “it could save lives” is the justification.
          Adoration at the altar of the all-powerful state. No surprised.

          • Do you wear seat belts? Run red lights, speed? Do you pay renewal fees on your car? Alcohol is regulated by the state. If you want to make money from it, you wear their brand. Did you leave New York to hide from someone or something in Alaska?

            • I wear a seat belt because it is a valuable safety feature, and I wore them before it was required by law.
              I pay registration fees on my vehicle because the funds go to road construction and maintenance. I use the roads, I pay my share.
              .
              Speeding/red lights, etc.. are all about safety. Even if there were no speed limits, I would reduce my speed based on visibility/sight distances.
              .
              And, your questions indicate that you think the government interfering across the board is perfectly OK.
              .
              Finally, the only morons who continue to live in NY think the government is there to take care of them, and they are willing to pay taxes to five, potentially six levels of government for that privilege. I am kind of surprised you are not living in the Metro NYC area. They have the type of government intrusion you constantly rally for.

          • They should put scales in all the restaurants and weigh everyone who comes in. All those with BMI’s greater than 30 would only be able to order from the low fat, low salt menu. How does that sound?

    • It’s only mandatory to check everyone’s ID in the Anchorage Borough, not all of Alaska.
      The Anchorage Borough law has no force and affect outside of Anchorage. So people with a Red Stripe on their ID/license can go outside of the Anchorage Borough and drink in a restaurant or bar.

    • I’m old and completely grey, and I’ve been checked for years. They aren’t looking to see if I’m under 21 years of age. No problem, no foul. I know exactly what they’re looking for, and it isn’t on my ID.

  4. Anchorage is a “no buy zone” for our family, we buy in the valley or on-line. We refuse to help the assembly with their taxes. If the people of Anchorage want a socialist government, fine, it’s a free country, but we out side of Anchorage don’t have to support it!

    • With their new tariffs on everything coming through the port, Anchorage is in effect imposing a 7-1/2% sales tax on every part of the state north of Haines. Given the amount of federal and state funding sucked up by their ill-managed port, I’m hopeful that the governor, legislators, and congressional delegation will offer to stop funding all port maintenance and improvements unless these new tariffs are removed.

    • Anchorage gets 7% of every dollar you spend in the state thanks to their new tariff for all imports at the port

        • Saw a young guy with a baby, wife, have housing provided for free – he said so. I assume food and medical care too.

          Saw him a year later when I was delivering to halfway house jail.

          Did he fail, likely, did he refuse to take control of his life. Or did something unexpected happen. Regardless – end result is the same.

          You’re spot on.

      • Amen, good point Jerome. Let’s enforce the illegality of camping in public and public intoxication. Throw em in the slammer. Jerome You’re good at policy making.

      • There is a night and day difference between wanting to help the homeless, and having money taken away from you against your will (taxation) to help the homeless.
        Understand that concept, and you will understand Andrew’s comment.

  6. Is the outrage that servers are actually supposed to check IDs? Or that the State restricts the ability of some individuals to buy alcohol? We have a substantial problem with homeless alcoholics (and drug addicts) and anything that can be done to limit their behavior should be welcomed. If you are so outraged by requiring servers to check IDs, do you just want to eliminate CHARR?

    • First, if a 75 year old comes into your wine tasing room or mexican restaurant that serves mojitos, you do not have to card them. According to Anchorage, you will now have to card every single person who enters your establishment.
      And yes, eliminate Alaska CHARR. They are more interested in woke policy than helping servers.

    • I don’t think very many of Anchorage ‘s homeless are going into bars and restaurants buying their booze. Could be wrong. I would also bet most don’t have a red stripes on their drivers license if they even have one. I think this statute is targeting habitual drunk drivers which there are many in Alaska, and Anchorage. It’s a bleak, depressing place in the cold dark winter after all.

      • Does not matter to the Assembly what you, or anyone else alive thinks.
        They want to extend government power and reach, and they will use any excuse they can dig up to do so.
        .
        And, you seem to be on their side way too much for someone who claims to be conservative.

  7. Tax regulate and fine businesses that dont comply like they did with the mask cops (friends) hired during covid for 60K/yr.
    That will definitely have an impact on people’s decision on where to do business.

    Dont hear many complaints from the homeless sector…except for Greg’s approval.

  8. There are some easy workarounds with this;

    Police officers get paid to enforce the law. If you are not a police officer, do not enforce laws. Pretty simple right?

    Everyone stop drinking booze. It is poison anyways and not good for your health.

    Befriend your local drug dealer. (no, not a doctor).

    • “………Police officers get paid to enforce the law. If you are not a police officer, do not enforce laws. Pretty simple right?……..”
      So I suppose Anchorage Police have no obligation to enforce or cooperate with federal immigration law, right? Or if you witness a crime, you have no obligation to call police or cooperate with prosecution, huh?
      Or is it just when you personally agree?

  9. As usual, your style of bombastic reporting plays loose and fast with facts and throws out numbers that don’t match the actual situation at hand.

    2100 known individuals to the state of Alaska that are not allowed to consume alcohol out of 730,000 including men women children, people who don’t live in Anchorage. Let’s break it down a little bit closer to reality.

    320,000 people in Anchorage, of half are under the age of 21. so that’s 160,000 people eligible to drink alcohol of which let’s just say half of them are the ones that are actually drinking because we know the other half are t-totaled, or it goes against their religion, or goes against her dietary.

    Now of the 80,000 people that might consume alcohol on an occasion let’s just say that half of them are total alcoholics… so it’s 40,000 people that are complete head over ass alcoholics.

    Add at 40,000. Let’s just say that 5000 of them get in trouble with the law of that 5000 just under half or around 45% are restricted by court order from alcohol consumption.

    those are your true actual numbers and you know what you can’t argue because my numbers are just as accurate and factual as the numbers you used.

    The state already requires the ID check at any establishment serving alcohol.

    Buried it in your article that the ordinance prohibits the individual with a red stripe ID from entering an establishment that serves alcohol the requirement to check the ID has always existed.

    I long for the day when your type of trash journalism disappears.

    • Numbers in the article are objective data. They may not be reflective of the number of miscreants that buy booze but they’re not stated to be.

      Conversely, your numbers are subjective and pulled directly out of your bobo. If you’d like to argue about anything in particular you should not base your argument on guesswork or you risk sounding like a boring tw*t.

      • The article’s numbers may be “objective data” but they’re presented in a misleading manner. Comparing a Municipal Statute to statewide populations is a useless endeavor. Jerome’s numbers are a guess, but at least he tried to put forth a useful comparison.

        The web portal won’t let me add links or more precise data citing “BLOCK TECHNICAL DATA”. But according to easily available census data the percentage is much closer to 1%, than 0.28%, assuming everyone 20 years and above drinks, which is not the case.
         
        I’m not saying anything pro or con about the Law, personally I don’t really care, but the math here is objectively wrong and misleading.
         
        Census Data and a more comprehensive ADN Article on this topic are just a google search away.

  12. It is discriminatory. Nonresidents don’t have a red stripe and can have a legal alcohol issue and buy/drink alcohol. Break out your passports folks (even if you don’t have a redstripe)-a valid ID form in protest.

  15. Does this apply to flight attendants taking drink orders in first class while they are on the ground in Anchorage? Does it apply to private clubs like Elks, VFW?

  16. This is insulting. Another power fart jumping on the slippery slope to total control wannabes. Maybe you will require traffic stops on all drivers to check their drivers license status. Now that would be an infringement yes? It would also be illegal. Might be time to get out of Dodge.

    • “……..Might be time to get out of Dodge……..”
      Now THAT’S a recommendation I heartily support………but please don’t come to the Valley. Maybe try Idaho.

  17. This is a fabulous idea! Why, since the red stripe and check-your-ID law was enacted, drunk driving, alcoholism and underage drinking have plummeted to near zero. NOT. Just more invasive shenanigans from the same Assembly that gave us plastic bag laws. What a bunch of effing losers.

  20. All these people here talking about how the liberals are creating a nanny state….its a deep red state run by a GOP super majority. You get what you vote for. You vote against taxes so much, your schools are closing. You vote against medicaid and access to health care and treatment, so your parks are clogged with homeless addicts.
    You get what you asked for. Your social problems are your cake….now eat it.

    • Typical of people who pay no property taxes to chide the actual finaciers of Anchorage. They love spending other people’s money.

    • So, we do not have enough money to keep the schools open, but we have enough to provide the vagrants with luxuries?

    • “……..Your social problems are your cake….now eat it……..”
      With my favorite frosting, no less!
      BTW, the schools are closing not because taxes have gone down (the haven’t). They’re closing because enrollment has gone down. Demographics. No babies, or aborted babies, and people leaving urban areas. Just a heads up (since you clearly live in a hazy bubble): this is going on in every west coast city in the U.S.
      Try to catch the clue…………..

  21. Pretty soon all of the Anchorage residents will need to carry their papers or a card proving that they are residents of the city.

  22. As a 15 year restaurant worker, this is fine. I already ID everyone regardless, as is required. To not do this already is negligence, and the people who refuse to show ID when ordering alcohol have a huge overlap with the people I don’t want to deal with after they have had alcohol at our establishment.

    Classic mountain out of a molehill muckraking for MRA.

    • Who is the authoritarian?
      Oh… Trump?
      The guy who is pushing governance back to the States? The President that wants to get the Department of Education out of day to day running of schools by the cities? The one who wanted from day one to overturn Roe v Wade because it unduly restricted State sovereignty?
      That authoritarian?

  26. Serious question: what do they do with out-of-state visitors. What if someone is just holding a U.S. passport? Seems like an easy way to circumvent the law.

  28. Yeah, you only need a utility bill to vote. No picture ID necessary:/ we don’t have the boats because six Republicans betrayed the house and the Senate so hopefully I’ll come down as an executive order from President Trump.

  30. if you have a red stripe you can’t be in a restaurant with an alcohol license. no snow city, no suite 100, no pizza parlors (they serve beer) i guess you can only eat at Wendy’s or the other fast food places. sounds like a lawsuit is on the way

  32. Wow I’ve never heard of this red stripe thing before, it must be something special Alaska does. I don’t think they do that anywhere in the Continental 48. That is absolutely government overreach, thoroughly unacceptable tyranny. If someone has a court order that they can’t drink that’s between them and their probation officer, not the bartender or the liquor store employee.

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