The Sac City Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies throughout the area in a pledge to keep tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products out of the hands of our youth. I-PLEDGE partners with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) in efforts to provide education and enforcement of Iowa’s laws as they relate to these products. Since 2000, the year I-PLEDGE was launched, Iowa’s retailer compliance rate has grown to 91 percent. By taking this pledge, the Sac City Police Department is committed to increase that rate even more. Emphasis through the program is placed on retailer training, and clerks completing training will become I-PLEDGE certified. This allows the establishment to use an affirmative defense against a civil penalty if the certified clerk makes an illegal sale. Along with training, the department will conduct compliance checks, which use underage partners, under the supervision of law enforcement, who attempt to purchase tobacco, alternative nicotine and/or vapor products. Clerks making a sale will be cited on the spot. Criminal penalties for selling products to a minor include a $100 fine for the first offense which rises to $250 for the second and $500 for third and subsequent offenses.
