City Of Menlo Park: Police And ABC Cite Five For Furnishing Alcohol To Minors

Press release from the City of Menlo Park:

December 11, 2020

Menlo Park Police and Agents of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) cited five suspects on December 10, 2020 for furnishing alcohol to minors. The operation was conducted in the general vicinity of Menlo Park.

ABC agents and local law enforcement conducted a program called a Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation which 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 $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

The program is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics show they generally have a higher rate of drunk driving crashes than adults. Studies also show the combination of alcohol and youth tends to increase criminal conduct. According to the American Medical Association, underage drinking can increase chances of risky sexual behavior and teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, compromise health, and result in unintentional injury and death.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control through the Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP) Program. ABC is a Department of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

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