Officers from the Menifee Police Department, in collaboration with agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), conducted a Minor Decoy operation and Shoulder Tap operation on Friday, February 21. As a result, three adults were cited for selling alcohol to minors and one adult was cited for purchasing alcohol for miners during
Working under the direct supervision of department agents, the minor decoys attempted to purchase alcohol from eight retail licensees in the City of Menifee.
Those who sold to a minor face a minimum fine of $250 and 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation. In addition, ABC may take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to the minor. That may include a fine, a suspension of the license, or the permanent revocation of the license.
In addition to the Minor Decoy operation, ABC agents also conducted a Shoulder Tap operation. A Shoulder Tap operation targets 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. The minor indicates in some way they are underage and cannot purchase the 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.
“Minor Decoy and Shoulder Tap help restrict underage access to alcohol by deterring adults from selling to them,” ABC Director Joseph McCullough said. “These programs have steadily decreased the accessibility of minors to obtain alcohol from licensed premises and the general public.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
