LAKE COUNTY – An undercover operation aimed at people who buy alcohol for minors netted five arrests last week, according to a Monday report from the Lakeport Police Department.

Sgt. Kevin Odom reported that Lakeport Police officers, investigators from the state's Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) and an officer from the Petaluma Police Department conducted a countywide “decoy shoulder tap” operation at various ABC-licensed premises on Dec. 23.

Odom said the operation was conducted under the auspices of the ABC's Decoy Shoulder Tap Program, which local law enforcement agencies use to detect and deter shoulder tap activity – which is when young people approach someone to purchase alcohol for them.

During this program, a minor decoy, under the direct supervisor of law enforcement officers, solicits adults outside ABC licensed stores to buy the minor decoy alcoholic beverages, Odom explained.

Operations were conducted at a total of 12 licensed premises in the areas of Middletown, Lower Lake, Clearlake Oaks and Kelseyville, he said.

The underage decoys made 64 attempts to solicit subjects to purchase alcoholic beverages for them. Odom said five persons were arrested for purchasing alcohol for a minor.

This operation was funded by a grant from the Alcohol Beverage Control obtained by the Lakeport Police Department in 2008, according to Odom.

Similar operations have already taken place in the Lakeport area, such as one held on Sept. 11, reported on by Lake County News.

The grant runs for one year and future operations are planned in other areas of Lake County, Odom said.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}