Full Notification

On Friday, 07/21/2017, the Santa Maria Police Department along with an ABC Agent conducted a "Minor Decoy" operation throughout the City of Santa Maria. The program is designed to reduce youth access to alcoholic beverages. These type of operations are conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state.

During the "Minor Decoy" operation a minor decoy, under the age of 21, attempted to purchase an alcoholic beverages, under the direct supervision of SMPD undercover officers. The decoy entered five different “on-sale establishments" establishments (Restaurants). Only one of the establishments furnished/sold the alcoholic beverage to the minor decoy. The clerk was contacted and arrested and released on a criminal citation. The business will also face administrative action from ABC as well.

These programs are intended to reduce the availability of alcoholic beverages to minors; statistics show that teens have a greater rate of drunken driving crashes than adults. Funding for these programs was provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety administration through an ABC Mini-Grant which was awarded to the Santa Maria Police Department for these types of operations.

Prepared by Sgt. Eligio Lara