EMERYVILLE – On August 20, 2025, the Emeryville Police Department, along with agents of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), conducted a decoy operation in which they tested store clerks by sending someone under 21 into the store to purchase alcohol.  Of the seven retail stores the officers and agents visited, only one clerk failed to check ID and sold alcohol to the underage decoy.

The clerk who sold alcohol to the underage customer was cited.  Clerks who sell 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 a minor. That may include a fine, suspension, or the permanent revocation of the license.
  
“Businesses should always check IDs of youthful customers before selling alcohol,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “Preventing access to those who are not old enough to legally purchase alcohol improves safety on our roadways and in our communities.”
 
“Kudos to the clerks who were vigilant about checking IDs.  That simple act works to keep all of us safer.  Our thanks to California ABC agents and their local law enforcement partners who routinely conduct these operations in order to keep our young people and our communities safe,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.