Operation Prevent made its first strike of the year Friday night at Planet 505, netting 11 fake or fictitious IDs and one alleged charge of serving alcohol to a minor, according to Sgt. Joel Cordone of the Syracuse Police.

At about 7 p.m., police and members of the New York State Liquor Authority entered the bar and stopped between 40 and 50 patrons as they performed a routine check, which includes scanning IDs, examining the bar’s inventory and records, and checking whether alcohol was sold directly to a minor, Cordone said.

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‘We had complaints from citizens saying they were serving underage customers, who went and drank outside,’ Cordone said. ‘(This raid was) on the average: some are worse, some are better.’

The raid went smoothly and was completed in about 45 minutes, Cordone said, at which time Planet 505 reopened for business.

Over the course of nine bar raids involving SU students, Operation Prevent has doled out 204 charges of possession of a forged or fictitious ID.

This is the third raid to occur outside Marshall Street, and the first on Westcott Street.

Cordone said bartenders are often caught selling alcohol to minors in the raids when they fail to check an ID before a purchase.

‘The big thing about this is that bartenders are required to ID people,’ Cordone said. ‘It’s not just the bouncer. The bartender is also responsible.’

The owner of Planet 505 was unavailable for comment.

Operation Prevent is a joint project between the New York State Liquor Authority, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the Onondaga District Attorney’s Office to combat underage drinking.

The program originated two years ago out of meetings held by the Syracuse Area College Community Coalition, where many bar owners met with university, community and law enforcement representatives to discuss issues pertaining to the university neighborhood.

‘(Bar owners) knew well in advance that we were coming, and they were aware we were going to enforce the underage drinking initiative,’ said Trooper Jack Keller, co-chair of the coalition, in an interview last year. ‘It’s not so much about trying to get as many arrests as possible, but more about education.’

The project was originally funded through an $18,500 grant and was renewed this year for another $4,000.

Lt. Shannon Trice of the Syracuse Police and Cordone said that the raids will continue, based on past evidence of underage drinking problems and complaints from neighborhood residents.

‘We’re going to continue to crack down on underage drinking wherever it may be,’ Trice said.

Published on September 26, 2004 at 12:00 pm