Program targets underage drinking

Grant helps law enforcement catch vendors, individuals providing alcohol to minors

For the next six months, the Crescent City Police Department will use specially allocated grant funds to target individuals who help put alcohol into the hands of minors.

The “Minor Decoy and Shoulder Tap Operations” are designed to reduce underage drinking by trying to bust local retailers and individuals who either sell alcohol to minors or purchase it for them.

“It’s important to curb the minor alcohol issue and target those that contribute to the delinquency of minors in our community,” said Crescent City Police Officer Justin Gill, who is also the local school resource officer. “Hopefully by the end of this grant we’ll be at a point where alcohol won’t be as accessible to minors.”

The police department will enlist the help of people under 21 years old to either buy alcohol directly from a store or approach someone, such as a customer, to buy it for them.

Any retailer who sells alcohol to a minor will be subject to a $250 fine, and/or 24–32 hours of community service for a first violation. The retailer will also be reported to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for administrative action, which could include fines or the suspension or revocation of a license to sell alcohol.

Should an adult agree to buy alcohol for a minor, city police will arrest that individual for furnishing alcohol to someone under 21. This carries a minimum of a $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

The police department received a $5,000 grant from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to perform these operations. Those grants are funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Operations began March 1 and will continue through Aug. 31 of this year.