Full Notification

Chula Vista, Calif. – On May 6th, 2016 the Chula Vista Police Department cited a clerk for selling alcohol to a minor. The actions were the result of a minor decoy operation in which minors, under the direct supervision of officers, attempted to purchase alcohol from 8 retail licensees in the City of Chula Vista.

The clerk who sold to the minor faces a minimum fine of $1000 and 24 hours of community service for a first violation. In addition, ABC will take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business. That may include a fine, a suspension of the license, or the 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, 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. CVPD’s operation was funded by the California Alcoholic Beverage Control through the department’s Grant Assistance Program (GAP).