Buy Booze For Minors? Get Cited, Seal Beach Cops Say

SEAL BEACH, CA — Seal Beach officers cited and released three suspects over the month of February for furnishing and/or selling alcoholic beverages to minors. Over the month of February, Seal Beach cops conducted minor decoy operations throughout the city. The three who sold to the minors face criminal fines, Seal Beach Police Department Sgt. Mike Henderson said.

In addition, ABC will take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold and/or furnished to a minor. That may include a fine, a suspension of the license, or the permanent revocation of the license. During these operations a minor decoy, under the direct supervision of a peace officer, entered 28 retail licensees in Seal Beach.

ABC is conducting the compliance checks statewide to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunken driving fatalities than the general adult population.

Minor Decoy Operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980’s. 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 to as low as 10 percent or even below. In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) through the department’s Grant Assistance Program. ABC is a Department of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

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