Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Chris Mattson
File: TE240690055
Details:
On March 09, 2024, the Riverside Sheriff’s Southwest Station conducted a Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation in the city of Temecula. The operation resulted in arrests by citation of two adults for furnishing alcohol to a minor. The first arrest occurred in the 3300 block of Temecula Parkway and the second occurred in the 44000 block of Apis Road. The actions were the result of a Shoulder Tap operation in which minors, under the direct supervision of sheriff’s deputies, attempted to have adults purchase alcohol for the minors from retail licensees in the City of Temecula.
The minors attempted to have 30 adults at four different alcohol licensed retail locations purchase alcohol for them. A Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation targets adults who purchased alcohol for people under 21 years of age. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum of $1,000 fine and 24 hours community service.
Under the program, a minor under the direct supervision of law enforcement, stands outside of an alcohol licensed retail establishment and asks customers to buy them alcohol. The minor indicates they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol. If an adult agrees to purchase alcohol for the underage person, they can be arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor.
“We conduct these operations as an effort to keep alcohol out of the hands of our youth,” said ABC Director Eric Hirata. “This collaborative effort among California law enforcement agencies spotlights underage drinking prevention, increases public safety for communities, and helps reduce DUIs.”
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 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 the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control through the department’s Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP) program.
The grant program will run through June 2024.
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