Chula Vista police officers cited one clerk for selling alcohol to minors during a decoy operation held on Friday, May 4th. During the operation, minors under the direct supervision of police officers tried to purchase alcohol from seventeen retail licensees in the City of Chula Vista.
The clerk who was cited faces a minimum fine of $250 and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation. In addition, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) will take administrative action against the licensee of the business, which may include a fine and/or suspension or permanent revocation of the license.
Chula Vista is conducting the compliance checks to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunken driving fatalities than the general adult population.
Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980's. 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, that rate has dropped in some cities to 10 percent or less.
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.
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.
