Law enforcement officers aided by some youthful partners spent part of Tuesday trying to find out if local businesses are upholding the law against selling tobacco products to people under the age of 21.

Tuesday’s effort revealed that the vast majority of stores checked are indeed refusing to sell tobacco to underage people

Fort Dodge police Capt. Dennis Quinn said 47 businesses in Webster County were checked and only three of them sold tobacco to someone underage.

He said the checks were conducted by sending young people between the ages of 16 and 20 into stores in an attempt to buy tobacco. Citations are expected to be issued in the three instances in which tobacco products were actually sold to the young people, he added.

The annual compliance check conducted Tuesday was part of the I-PLEDGE partnership between local law enforcement agencies and the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division. That partnership is intended to prevent the sale of tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products to underage people.

In addition to compliance checks, I-PLEDGE also offers training to businesses and their employees to better prepare them to refuse tobacco sales to those under 21.

“They should be IDing everybody,” Quinn said.

The fines for selling tobacco products to underage people are $135 for the first offense, $325 for the second offense and $645 for the third and subsequent offenses.