An organization in eastern Iowa is teaching businesses how to curb dangerous drinking issues. This week, the Area Substance Abuse Council, or ASAC, and local law officers provided a program called TiPS in Jones County.
TiPS stands for Training for Intervention Procedures. It’s a program that works to prevent adult binge drinking, underage drinking, and drunk driving. Johnathon Tuttle, who works at Hot Shots Bar and Grill in Anamosa, was among the bar and restaurant employees taking part in the free training session. He spoke with KCRG-TV. “It lets us be aware of what we can and can’t do within limits, and it keeps us safe as well,” Tuttle said. Last week, the Board of Supervisors in Jones County passed an ordinance that requires all businesses in unincorporated areas to some form of training like the program offered by ASAC.
At the session in Anamosa, Jones County Deputy Trevor Martensen told participants how to deal with intoxicated patrons, how to identify fake IDs, and how servers need to keep legal responsibilities in mind. “Most people don’t realize they can be held civilly liable for damages incurred from a drunk driving incident, most people don’t know that but they can be, so this opens their eyes and they can see that they can be held liable,” Martensen said.
Sometimes that means just telling a patron ‘no’ when they ask for one more drink. That’s something Tuttle isn’t afraid to do.”I just say, ‘well, I think you’ve had enough,’ and most people are reasonably cool with that,” Tuttle said. Officers say the training is just one more tool to combat drinking issues that could have tragic consequences.
“Many of them walk out of here saying they are going to change the way they serve individuals,” Martensen said.
By Jill Kasperie, KCRG-TV