6 Of 6 Petaluma Clerks Sell Liquor To 18-Year-Old Girl In Sting Operation: Police

Petaluma, CA — Recent alcohol compliance checks are not going well for authorities in Sonoma County.

On June 12, clerks working at 13 of 14 Sebastopol liquor stores sold alcohol to an 18-year-old boy during a decoy sting operation.

Five days later, six out of six Petaluma liquor store clerks sold alcohol to a different 18-year-old, this time, a girl.

During the latest compliance check, police say an 18-year-old female decoy attempted to purchase alcohol at four off-sale and two on-sale Petaluma establishments.

The result?

"We are disappointed to report that all six establishments sold alcohol to the minor decoy," Petaluma police said in a statement.

Sebastopol police, who carried out the most recent operation along with Petaluma police, made no arrests of the clerks involved. They say the purpose of the the compliance checks is to educate employees.

According to police, four out of six employees asked to see the decoy’s driver’s license, and two employees did not. Police say after each illegal attempt of a purchase, a Sebastopol police officer spent time with the employee to discuss practices for looking at driver’s licenses.

Police encourage Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training for employees.

The Sonoma County Department of Health Services provides RBS training (free of charge) at various locations across Sonoma County, including Petaluma, which provides information on state and local alcohol laws, liability for the employee and the business, skills training in how to identify a false ID, how to prevent alcohol sales to minors, refusing the sale of alcohol, and what to do in the event of intoxication.

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