SANTA MONICA—On March 15, the Santa Monica Police Department and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control joined forces to conduct an undercover sting operation that yielded arrests and citations at a number of establishments throughout the state.
Both agencies used two supervised underage decoys that visited 10 alcohol retail establishments in Santa Monica and had a total of 165 contacts. The decoys stood outside the establishments soliciting adult patrons to act as proxies to purchase alcohol for them. According to Sgt. Rudy Camarena from the SMPD, a citation was issued for violation of 25658(a) of the Business and Professions Code, where an adult knowingly provided/furnished alcohol to a minor (the supervised, underage decoy).
The initiative which is known as the “Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation” is a coordinated effort between ABC and local law enforcement agencies in the state of California. The goal is aimed to reduce the access of alcohol to minors with awareness and enforcement efforts. The American Medical Association has revealed that underage drinking can lead to an increase in risky sexual behavior, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, health and can result in unintentional injury or death.
“’Shoulder tap’ is an iteration from the typical decoy sting targeting the licensees. The focus isn’t the retail establishment, but the patrons who are solicited by underage decoys outside the premises. These patrons are clearly informed by the decoy that (s)he is a minor, [and] unable to purchase alcohol. The adult then takes the money and proxies the purchase on behalf of the minor. Over the years we’ve learned this tactic is a workaround employed by school aged juveniles who loiter outside retail establishments and solicit patrons in a bid to circumvent the law and gain access to beer, wine and spirits,” said Sgt. Camarena to Canyon News.
He added that the locations for the enforcement are oftentimes chosen at random, but “certain premises (i.e. major supermarkets and chain stores) are chosen by juveniles because of the easier anonymity and larger volume of patrons walking in and out.”
“Fortunately these establishments, for the most part, have adopted very stringent age verification and responsible sales policies which oftentimes discourage the practice as even adults are carded,” said Sgt. Camarena.
Some of the local operations were funded by the California Alcoholic Beverage Control from the department’s Grant Assistance Program. Others were funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There were no administrative/criminal sanctions brought against any of the 10 establishments visited, as the licensees weren’t involved.
“The initiative aims at creating awareness and reminding adults that it is illegal to furnish alcohol to underage kids. Substance abuse and access to alcohol by juveniles is harmful to the safety and welfare of our community and poses a significant public health threat,” said Sgt. Camarena.
