Evanston police will check on tobacco retailers in the next several months to make sure the retailers are not selling to minors, according to an Oct. 29 news release by police.

Illinois tobacco retailers currently average a 90 percent compliance rate with laws banning the sale of tobacco products to minors under 18, the news release said. The state has the seventh-best compliance rate in the country.

Evanston police frequently make checks to ensure compliance rates remain high, Cmdr. Tom Guenther said. They do so with undercover help from minors, who enter stores and attempt to buy tobacco. If the retailer does not ask for the minor’s ID or turn him or her away, police issue the retailer a citation.

“We are constantly vigilant,” Guenther said.

Police will visit each tobacco retailer three times during this campaign, according to the release. Before the visits, the retailers will receive kits that include an outline of Illinois tobacco laws and a training guide for ID checkers.