FONTANA – In an effort to reduce underage drinking and the problems and crimes associated with it, California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents and Fontana Police officers conducted a decoy shoulder tap operation in the city of Fontana on October 18, 2018.
“This type of operation involves underage decoys who stand outside businesses and ask adults to purchase alcohol for them,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “The decoys are up front about not being 21. By conducting these operations, agents and officers are educating the public that buying alcohol for someone under 21 is not only a bad idea, it is against the law.”
Agents and officers were encouraged by the number of citizens who refused the decoys’ request during the October 18th operation. The decoys approached 18 individuals and 16 of them said, “no.” The two citizens who purchased alcohol for the decoys were arrested, ctied and released.
The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
“There are just too many dangerous possibilities associated with underage drinking,” said Barcelona. “There’s drinking and driving that puts all of us at risk, alcohol poisoning, physical and sexual assaults, just to name a few. We applaud citizens who politely refuse to purchase alcohol for those under 21 who are requesting it.”
