Reporting Deputy: Deputy Christina Weber
File: TE233180143
Details:
On November 14, 2023, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office conducted a Minor Decoy Operation and Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation in the city of Temecula. The operation resulted in one citation for an adult who furnished alcohol to a minor decoy at a business within the 31000 block of Rancho California Road. The actions were the result of a Minor Decoy operation in which minors under the direct supervision of department agents attempted to purchase alcohol from four retail licensees in Riverside County.
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, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) will take administrative actions against the alcoholic beverage license where alcohol was sold to a minor. That may include a fine, a suspension, or the permanent revocation of the license.
In addition to the Minor Decoy Operation, deputies also conducted a Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation. The minors attempted to have 21 adults at three different licensed retail stores furnish them alcohol. A Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation targets adults who purchased alcohol for people less than 21 years of age. The penalty of furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum of $1,000 fine and 24 hours community service.
“Businesses should always check IDs before selling alcohol,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “Preventing access to people not old enough to legally purchase alcohol improves safety on our roadways and in our communities.”
Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than older drivers. About 25 percent of fatal crashes involve underage drinking according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980s. 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 to below 10 percent in some cities. In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the use of minor decoys is a valid legal tool of law enforcement to make sure that licensees are complying with the law.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from ABC through the department’s Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP) program.
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