CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department recently applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.  

The goal of this grant is to conduct compliance checks using both minor decoy and shoulder tap operations to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors, Clearlake Police reported.

Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunken driving fatalities than the general adult population.

The minor decoy operation involves minors who work under the direct supervision of officers attempting to purchase alcohol from on sale and off sale establishments.  

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 in some cities as low as 10 percent or even below.

In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.

In addition to the minor decoy operation, officers will also conduct decoy shoulder tap operations. A decoy shoulder tap operation 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, officers 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.

Sometime during the grant period, the Clearlake Police Department also will host a LEAD Training for licensees and their employees.

The LEAD Training will be performed by an agent from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The LEAD Program provides the licensee and applicant with practical information on serving alcoholic beverages safely, responsibly, and legally, and preventing illicit drug activity at the licensed establishment.

This project is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.