2 Citations From Latest Alcoholic Beverage Control Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Operation In Menlo Park

Press release from the City of Menlo Park:

September 25, 2020

Officers from the Menlo Park Police Department and Agents of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) have cited two clerks for selling alcohol to minors conducted on the September 24 minor decoy operation. The actions were the result of a minor decoy operation in which minors under the direct supervision of department agents/officers attempted to purchase alcohol from 12 retail licensees in the City of Menlo Park.

Those who sold to the minor face 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 a minor. That may include a fine, a suspension of the license, or the permanent revocation of the license.

ABC is conducting the 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.

Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980’s. 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.

In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) through the Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP) Program.

This press release was produced by the City of Menlo Park. The views expressed here are the author’s own.