Bartenders prioritize safety as people celebrate New Year's Eve

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Bartenders and local alcohol agencies said they'll do their best to prioritize safety as people celebrate the New Year's Eve on Wednesday night.

Louisville Alcoholic Beverage Control detectives will visit bars and businesses serving alcohol in plain clothes throughout the night. The agency's chief investigator, Ronald Fey, said Wednesday that his detectives routinely check for compliance on all sides of town.

"Right from the entrances, we're wanting to make sure that the security is engaging both in identifying people for age restrictions that may be in place for particular locations and, at the same time, ensuring, too, that people aren't carrying weapons into establishments," Fey said.

Once detectives are inside, Fey said they'll watch bartenders behind the bar to make they're not overserving.

Erin Strong, the bar managers at Upland Brewing Co. in Jeffersonville, Indiana, said being out of compliance brings problems no bar manager wants to deal with.

"I don't think a lot of guests realize that if you go out and you get in an accident, it comes back to us," Strong said. "We can lose our liquor license,. My team members can face fines. They can go to jail. All kinds of things. So it's a safety issue."

Strong added that she also wouldn't want to carry the emotional weight that would follow if she was responsible for someone overdrinking.

"I don't want to live with the guilt of if someone were to go out and get themselves killed or kill somebody else because of drinking and driving," she said.

Jenni Trich, the general manager at Harry's Tap Room, said her staff avoids overserving, monitors people's alcohol intake and cuts people off when they believe they've reached their limit. She said protecting guest should every bartender's top priority.

"I think it's a shame if you don't put them first because, these are people who keep your business doors open," Trich said.

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