Menlo Park Police Arrest One For Furnishing Alcohol To Minors

Press release from the City of Menlo Park:

October 29, 2020

Menlo Park Police along with Agents from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) arrested one suspect October 24, 2020 for furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor.

A Decoy Shoulder Tap operation was conducted, which targets adults who purchase alcohol for people less than 21 years of age. The operation was conducted in the general vicinity of Menlo Park as part of an ABC grant the police department received for alcohol enforcement activities to combat underage drinking.

Under this 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.

This program is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics show that minors 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.

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

For more information, contact Officer Galen Fliege

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