The Anaheim Police Department’s Vice Unit conducted a Minor Decoy Operation at eight Anaheim locations on Jan. 18, 2018. The operation resulted in one citation for the sale of alcohol to a minor.
Decoy Operations target retail establishments that have Department of Alcoholic Beverage licenses. Under the program, minor decoys, enter a business and attempt to purchase alcohol directly from the store clerk or cashier. The minors are directed to show their California driver’s license, California identification card, or tell the employee their age if asked.
The sale of alcohol to a minor is a criminal offense and the business is subject to administrative penalties by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, including the suspension or revocation of their license to sell alcoholic beverages.
When the Minor Decoy program first began in the 1980s, the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 40 or 50 percent. When the program is conducted on a routine basis, the rate has dropped to as low as 10 percent in some cities.
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.
ABC is a Department of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.
