Thanks to an Alcohol and Tobacco Control grant, the Bogalusa Police Department was able issue 40 summonses, mostly for unlawful sales of alcohol or tobacco to minors, between Feb. 17 and June 27.

The program largely enabled the BPD to send underage people into stores, bars and other establishments to see if they could purchase the age-restricted items.

In the almost four-and-a-half-month period, 15 people were issued a summons for the unlawful sale of alcohol to a minor; 17 were issued a summons for the unlawful sale of tobacco to a minor; seven were issued a summons for allowing a minor into a bar; and one bar owner was cited for keeping a disorderly place.

The information was passed on to the Louisiana ATC, which is responsible for taking administrative action against the establishment license-holders, said Police Chief Joe Culpepper. The BPD handles the involved individuals, he said.

While the grant exposed some problems, the project did have an upside, Culpepper said.

“On 109 occasions when we sent an under-aged person into a business, they refused to sell to them,” he said.