New company is joining students during bar time at establishments near the University of Wisconsin campus as Madison police continue to perform bar checks.

Larry Kamholz, public-relations officer with the Madison Police Department, said that during a check, police officers enter a bar, talk to patrons and check their IDs. They also talk to bartenders to make sure a licensed bartender is behind the bar and to make sure the bar is not over capacity.

Jami Phillips, manager at Johnny O’s, located at 620 University Ave., said police bar checks occur four or more times a month.

Bar checks occur every Tuesday and either Friday or Saturday night at State Street Brats, Matt Goetsch, manager at Brats, said.

Phillips said Johnny O’s has a strict policy regarding underage patrons and making sure to not allow them in the bar.

“We have five bouncers at the door checking IDs,” Phillips said.

While patrons often object to raids, Goetsch said bar checks are necessary.

“Some people don’t pay attention to the 21-year-old drinking age, and some bars are really good about it,” Goetsch said.

According to Kamholz, police check bars that have a history of problems and respond to complaints, but random bars are also subject to checks.

Zach Fox, a UW freshman, was at Stillwater’s on State Street during a bar check.

“The police walked in and checked random people for IDs,” Fox said, adding that people would sometimes be ticketed, kicked out or taken into police custody for being underage, and that those parties may face charges.

One person was caught Tuesday night at State Street Brats, but Goetsch said that not many underage people are caught drinking at Brats. He attributes better-looking fake IDs to the low number of underage drinkers being caught. “It’s even hard for the police to tell it’s a fake.” Goetsch said.

Phillips said when police conduct checks at Johnny O’s, they talk to a manager and wander the crowd, but she has not actually seen the police checking IDs.

Phillips also thinks bar checks do not have an affect on the bar’s business.

The number of bar checks comes and goes over a period of time, Goetsch said. He added that police will increase the number of checks some months, but the number of checks goes back to normal after awhile.

Kamholz said more checks have occurred in past years because of weapons in bars and big events such as the State Street Halloween celebration.

Goetsch said bar checks are not always routine. Sometimes police will go into a bar looking for people who got in trouble on the street, he said.

“It makes sense,” Fox said. “People under 21 shouldn’t be in bars. Personally, I don’t like the checks, but the police are doing their jobs.”