Underage Decoys Visit 20 Petaluma Tobacco Retailers

PETALUMA, CA — The Petaluma Police Department conducted a decoy operation Thursday night to check the compliance of tobacco vendors in the city.

Teenaged adult decoys under the direction and supervision of PPD officers visited 20 tobacco retail-licensed businesses. The decoys tried to purchase tobacco products from each vendor. During the operation, no vendors sold tobacco to the underage decoys, police said Friday.

During a similar operation held last week on Wednesday, June 7, three of 17 Petaluma tobacco retailers were caught selling to the underage decoys, police said.

The purpose of such operations is to encourage tobacco retailers to check identifications and refuse to sell tobacco to minors, Petaluma police said.

Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state 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. The latest violation rate statewide was almost 24 percent or nearly one in five retail licensees selling to minors.

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

Thursday night's decoy operation was funded in part by the Impact Sonoma Grant.