SAN LUIS OBISPO – On May 23, 2022, California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents and San Luis Obispo police officers conducted a “minor decoy and shoulder tap” operation in San Luis Obispo.

Shoulder tap operations involve a decoy under the age of 21 who contacts people as they are approaching a store and asks them if they would purchase alcohol for them.  The decoy makes it clear that he/she is under 21 years old and has money for the purchase.

During the operation only one person agreed to buy alcohol for the decoy and was arrested and released on citation for the misdemeanor violation.

California law prohibits the purchase or furnishing of any alcoholic beverage to any person under the age of 21.

“This work by California ABC agents and local police officers really helps to educate the public that providing alcohol to those under 21 is not only not okay, it is against the law,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “Underage drinking can lead to too many situations in which innocent people get hurt.