Underage Decoys Visit 17 Petaluma Tobacco Retailers

PETALUMA, CA — A decoy operation was held Wednesday night in Petaluma to conduct compliance checks on tobacco vendors in the city.

The operation involved teenage "adult" decoys trying to purchase tobacco products while being directed and supervised by nearby Petaluma police officers. The decoys visited 17 licensed businesses and tried to buy tobacco products from each one. Of the 17 vendors, three sold tobacco to the underage decoys, police said.

"The purpose of these operations is to encourage tobacco retailers to check identifications and refuse to sell tobacco to minors and partner with our community to help keep California youth safe," Petaluma police Sgt. Z. Rivera said.

Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout California since the 1980s. 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, according to police.

The latest violation rate statewide is almost 24 percent — or nearly one in five — of retail licensees selling to minors, police said.

In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that underage decoys are a valid tool for law enforcement to ensure that liquor and tobacco licensees are complying with the law.

The operation Wednesday night in Petaluma was funded in part by the Impact Sonoma Grant. The Tobacco and Nicotine Prevention Team applies for and has been awarded grant funds through the California Department of Justice (DOJ) Tobacco Law Enforcement Grant Program. The money is used to build capacity within school districts and their local law enforcement agency partners to address youth vaping and smoking.

Police did not say which Petaluma businesses were caught selling to the underage decoys.