For the upcoming school year, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission has issued its latest attempt to combat underage drinking.

The new initiative, Project 21, has been enforced in eight of Illinois’ largest college communities, including Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, McComb and now DeKalb.

Project 21 has been introduced by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, with the aid of the Illinois State Police, to help keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.

“It is a crackdown on underage drinking and the problems that can come from it,” director of Project 21 Marie O’Brien said.

The program was started after the ILCC conducted a survey in Illinois’ largest college towns to better understand the drinking habits of underage college students.The survey included questions about availability of alcohol, how minors get alcohol and the drinking habits of minors.

“From the survey, we found some pretty surprising stuff,” O’Brien added. “That’s why we started this program.”

As a way to enforce and show the importance of the program, the ILCC is holding seminars in each of the eight communities.The DeKalb Project seminar was held Aug. 16. Mayor Sparrow met with the approximately 56 liquor licensees in DeKalb.

“The last thing in the world we want to do is serve alcohol to underage kids and possibly endanger themselves or others,” said Chris Humphrey, manager of Molly’s Eatery and Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway.

At the meeting, Sparrow, joined by the ILCC and State Police, discussed topics such as laws and penalties for serving minors and the steps that police are taking to combat underage drinking.

The police explained the laws and the penalties of serving alcohol to a minor and the DUI and dram shop laws. Dram Laws state that the establishment that serves alcohol to an individual that leaves the establishment intoxicated is liable for any damage caused by the individual.

In addition, they explained their programs to using stings to catch liquor establishment employees in the act of serving underage individuals. The program also includes training sessions that tell the owners of alcoholic establishments how to recognize a fake ID and teaching the owners how to say no to someone who is intoxicated and wants another drink.

In conjunction with Project 21, bar owners across the state have joined the Beverage Alcohol Sellers & Servers Education & Training (BASSET).

As a part of BASSET, bar owners train their employees in responsible serving practices and how to spot fake IDs.

“It’s a good idea; no bar in town wants to have a problem with underage drinking,” Jeff Dobie, manager of Fatty’s, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, said.

At all local bars, Project 21 signs and stickers are placed on the front doors and employees wear pins to help reinforce the already strict entrance policies.

“We are fairly confident that we can have an even better system than we do all ready, and we have one of, if not the toughest in the state,” DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow said.