News

Confidential informants help police

“Doesn’t matter how old they look, the girls need a squeaky clean record with no former alcohol violations...” -Mike McGuire, MCPD

Artwork by Jordan Melcher

Jacey Wood
Advertising Manager

Students in NIACC’s criminal justice program are not the only students at NIACC who help law officials fight crime.

The Mason City Police Department has recently began using female college students to help the department on liquor store and bar stings.

“Each year we hold about 20 stings, one or two per month,” Mike McGuire, Mason City Police Department officer, said.

McGuire has been working with the Mason City Police Department for over ten years now and has seen how much of an impact the confidential informant program has had on limiting alcohol sales to minors.

“We’ve been doing these for about ten or twelve years now and they have been extremely effective in the process of catching offenders who sell to minors,” McGuire said.

The most crucial part of the process is finding students willing to work until early hours of the morning doing this job.

However, there are those willing to help.

“I was asked earlier this year to be one and overall I’ve done it about four times and have gotten roughly over 20 places caught selling to minors,” Sandy, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said about her involvement in the program.

According to Sandy, the last time she had gone on one of the stings, it was for Mason City businesses and they managed to catch 12 of 40 places selling to minors.

The students, under 21, use their real ID’s and they are given a set list of places to hit each night.

Informants enter the establishment with an officer who is undercover at the time.

“It’s so crazy when you go up to buy the alcohol and the person scans the ID, which is denied because it’s underage, then they’ll just void it sometimes,” Sandy said.

Sandy said she really has enjoyed helping the police department with this, but she says most of the time the people do not let her buy the alcohol, and that can be embarrassing.

However, the way these students enter the program, as an informant, is not as easy as one might think.

McGuire said having a certain look isn’t important but the background is essential for selection into the program.

“Doesn’t matter how old they look, the girls need a squeaky clean record with no former alcohol violations or anything, and most of the time they know someone in the law enforcement field,” McGuire said.

As far as the penalties go, it isn’t just the bars who cover the bill when caught by the informants, the bartenders receive a hefty fine as well.

According to Iowa’s state laws concerning liquor and minors, selling to a minor 18 years of age or younger is considered a class 1-misdemeanor for the licensee which is a full year in jail and a $1,000 dollar fine.

The clerk who actually sells the alcohol is liable for all the same penalties as the licensee (that is, he or she can be arrested for a class 1- misdemeanor, depending on the age of the minor). 

The state also imposes other punitive sanctions, like suspending the clerk’s driver’s license for 30 days to a year. 

NIACC students help the community and law enforcement in many ways from fundraisers to volunteer work.

Students who take the time out of their weekends to be confidential informants help to continue this tradition.