“It’s a simple thing for a clerk or server to request an ID when selling or serving alcohol. That small act goes quite far in keeping all of us safe. We appreciate the ongoing efforts by ABC agents and their local law enforcement officers who target underage drinking.”
– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
LAKE ELSINORE –On February 17, 2024, agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), along with deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, cited a clerk for selling alcohol to someone under the age of 21.
The agents and deputies conducted Minor Decoy Operation which involves a person under 21 and under the direct supervision of deputies and agents attempting to purchase alcohol. The operation was conducted at five retail licensees in the city of Lake Elsinore.
The clerk who sold alcohol to the underage decoy faces a minimum fine of $250, and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation. In addition, ABC will take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to the decoy. That may include a fine, a suspension or the permanent revocation of the license.
In addition to the Minor Decoy Operation, ABC agents also conducted a Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation. A Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation targets adults who purchase alcohol for people less than 21 years of age. Under the program, a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer will stand outside a liquor or convenience store and ask patrons to buy them alcohol. The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol. If the adults agree to purchase alcohol for the minor, agents then arrest and cite them for furnishing alcohol to the minor. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
ABC conducts compliance checks statewide to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunken 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.
Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980s. When the program first began, the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 40 to 50 percent. When conducted on a routine basis, the rate has dropped in some cities as low as 10 percent or even below.
