Four Businesses Sell Tobacco To Minors In One Day: Plainfield PD

PLAINFIELD, IL — According to an arrest report the Plainfield police released on Friday, March 6, four different people were ticketed on the same day in February for selling tobacco products to minors. Plainfield Police Commander Anthony Novak said the ticketings were part of the Tobacco Enforcement Program, administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The program entails police using minors to solicit local businesses for tobacco products, and recording how employees of said businesses react to that solicitation.

"We utilize individuals under the age of 18," Novak said, "and have undercover officers conduct surveillance to observe the transaction."

A total of 25 Plainfield businesses were solicited for tobacco by police-employed minors on Feb. 18, Novak said. Of those 25, four had employees willing to sell them tobacco products.
The four offending businesses were:

1. 7-11, located at 14807 South Route 59
2. Speedway, located at 15919 South Lincoln Highway
3. BP, 16141 West Lincoln Highway
4. Walgreens, located at 24801 West 135th Street

Novak did not say how often the police conduct these Tobacco Enforcement operations, but indicated that they were part of a grant agreement with the Department of Human Services. None of the employees who sold tobacco to minors were arrested.