San Diego Shoulder Tap Shows Retailers Carding Minors

SAN DIEGO, CA — Nobody was cited for furnishing alcohol to minors in a Shoulder Tap operation, the San Diego Police Department said Wednesday.

The SDPD Vice Unit contacted 31 people in the operation on Saturday, SDPD Lt. Jason Scott said. None of the people who were solicited for alcoholic beverages furnished alcohol to the minors.

A Shoulder Tap operation focuses on adults who purchase alcoholic beverages for persons under the age of 21, Scott said. A minor under the direct supervision of law enforcement stands outside of a liquor or convenience store and asks customers to buy them alcohol. The minor also states they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.

"We would like to thank our community members for doing their part by not providing alcohol to minors and the store clerks for not allowing our decoys to loiter in front of the business," Scott said. "Underage drinking harms our community. Preventing the sale of alcohol to minors will help to increase public safety and make our roads safer."

Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Joseph McCullough said, "We conduct these operations to keep alcohol out of the hands of our youth. By preventing underage drinking we can increase the quality of life in our communities and reduce DUIs."

If an adult agrees to purchase alcohol for the underage person, they can be arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

Funding for the operation was provided by a grant from ABC through the department's Alcohol Policing Partnership program.