Photos: All photos courtesy of San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office
Originally Published By: San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office
“Deputies of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office along with the California ABC (California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) cited one clerk for selling alcohol to minors and two adults who purchased alcohol for minors on December 16, 2022. The actions were a result of a Minor Decoy and Shoulder Tap operation.
A Minor Decoy operation involves a minor who works under the direct supervision of law enforcement. The minor attempted to purchase alcohol from 20 businesses in San Joaquin County.
Those cited face a minimum of a $250 fine and 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first-time violation. Additionally, ABC can take administrative action against the liquor license of a business whose employee sells alcohol to a minor, including fines, license suspensions, or license revocations.
In addition to the Minor Decoy operation, deputies also conducted a Shoulder Tap operation. Shoulder Tap operations target adults who purchase alcohol for underage people. A minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer stands outside a liquor or convenience store and asks patrons to buy them alcohol. If an adult agrees to purchase alcohol for the minor, agents can arrest and cite them for furnishing alcohol to a minor. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
ABC conducts these compliance checks statewide to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics have shown that people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunk driving fatalities than the general adult population. About 25 percent of alcohol-related crashes involve underage drinking according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Funding for these programs was provided by a grant from the ABC Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP) program.”
