Last week the Mandeville Police Department went on a campaign to stop underage drinking in their town. They sent in a 19-year-old person into selected stores that sell liquor. The young person then attempted to buy alcohol. If he was able to buy the liquor, the clerk who sold it to him was written a summons for selling alcohol to a minor.

The good thing about this sting operation is that out of 15 stores targeted by the police, they only had to write out four summonses. That’s a good thing. It shows that people do take the law seriously.

When we run stories like this, we usually get a spate of letters and e-mails from residents who consider such operations a waste of time and taxpayers’ money. We beg to differ. Keeping alcohol away from teens can benefit the community in several ways.

First, it will keep young people from drinking alcohol and then getting behind the wheel of a car. Statistics show that most fatal accidents involving alcohol are committed by people between the ages of 16 and 19.

Secondly, statistics also show that the onset of alcoholism does start when people are in their teens and allowed to imbibe, despite the law. Selling alcohol to a teen may not seem like such a horrendous act, but looking into the future, that person may end up an alcoholic, costing society thousands of dollars in medical, and rehabilitation treatments. It may also mean another drunk adult behind the wheel of a car posing a threat to all other drivers on the road.

The law is simple — if you are under 21, you cannot buy alcohol.

For those four cashiers and clerks that were cited by the Mandeville police, it is much easier and less expensive to ask for a person’s identification before handing over a bottle of liquor.