Liquor sellers don't need help checking IDs

The recent advisory vote on whether to require all liquor stores to check IDs for every liquor purchase was passed by the voters. That same ordinance was then introduced in the Assembly, but amended to also include bars and restaurants.
If passed, the proposed ordinance would require all bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to check the IDs of each individual each time alcohol was purchased. This would mean that if you showed your ID when you purchased a drink 20 minutes ago you still would have to show your ID again for your next drink purchase.
Other than the advisory vote, there were two other justifications for this proposed action. The first was to prevent a person court ordered not to purchase alcohol from doing so. The state requires a "Red Stripe" on the driver's license of any of these persons. The second justification was to combat the sale of alcohol to underaged persons.
There are 486 persons in Anchorage prohibited, by court order, from purchasing alcohol. They have the "Red Stripe" on their driver's license signifying that prohibition. The Assembly is assuming that all of these persons are still trying to purchase alcohol. The Assembly also believes those people won't use some other form of ID if they still decide to purchase alcohol.
Study, after study, after study, including University of Alaska research, has shown that underaged persons do not get their alcohol from licensed premises, i.e. bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. They get their alcohol from their parents' liquor cabinets, adult relatives or friends, or adult strangers at liquor stores, in that order.
Alaska ranks the best in the nation for preventing underaged persons from obtaining alcohol from bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Alaska is also the second best in the nation (after New Hampshire) for the reduction of alcohol related fatalities by underaged persons.
The reason for this exemplary record is not because of the police. The reason is because of the training of the bartenders, servers and clerks of the liquor licensees. The police only make an appearance in a bar for a few minutes on a Friday or Saturday night. The trained professional servers monitor drinking behavior every open hour of every day.
Alaska CHARR has had a TAM (Techniques of Alcohol Management) training program for servers in place for over 25 years. As of the first of April this year, Alaska CHARR has, on their own initiative, introduced a new and improved program called Training of Alcohol Professionals (TAP). Replacing the old TAM program, this new CHARR-owned TAP program was developed by Alaskans, for Alaskans.
Anchorage voters also voted to stop Anchorage police from wasting their time writing parking tickets downtown. Now, the Assembly wants APD officers to waste their time patrolling bars, restaurants and liquor stores looking for underaged perpetrators who do not exist.
This ordinance is not only a public nuisance, not effective against illegal purchase of alcohol but also a waste of police officers' time and efforts.

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Darwin Biwer is the owner of Darwin's Theory, a bar in downtown Anchorage.