Thursday, 03 May 2007 23:42
ABC Minor Decoy Program; 2 Citations This Round
Investigators of the
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) have cited two clerks for selling
alcohol to minors on April 29, 2007. The clerks are employed at the One Stop Market
on Hwy 88 in Pine Grove and the Flying V on Jackson Rd in Sacramento County.
The actions were the result of a minor decoy operation in which minors under the direct supervision of
department investigators, attempted to purchase alcohol from 12 retail
licensees in the counties of Sacramento
and Amador. Those who sold to the minor face a minimum fine of
$250, and/or 24 to 32 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.
ABC is conducting the
compliance checks state-wide 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. Funding for this
program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety,
through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. ABC is a department of
the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, which is under the direction
of Secretary Dale E. Bonner, a member of the Governor’s Cabinet.
