Two Cited for Supplying Alcohol to Underage Volunteer

From the City of Redlands: Two people were cited during a Shoulder Tap operation recently, in which an 18-year-old volunteer under the direct supervision of a Redlands Police officer, contacted 25 individuals outside three local businesses that sell alcohol and offered to give people entering the stores money to buy beer.

A 63-year-old man and a 23-year-old man, both from Redlands, were cited Jan. 28 for furnishing alcohol to a minor outside a convenience store in the 700 block of Redlands Boulevard.

The enforcement efforts are part of a $24,491 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The City Council accepted the ABC grant July 5, 2016, for the Police Department to conduct minor decoy and shoulder tap operations. The grant was awarded through ABC’s Grant Assistance Program (GAP).

The grants are intended to strengthen local law enforcement efforts by combining the efforts of local police officers and ABC agents who have expertise in alcoholic beverage laws and can help communities reduce alcohol-related problems.

The GAP Program was created in 1995 to strengthen partnerships between ABC and local law enforcement agencies. The program is designed to put bad operators out of business, keep alcohol away from minors and bring penalties such as fines, suspensions or revocations against businesses that violate the law.

ABC grant operations are a component of the Redlands Police Department’s Responsible Redlands initiative. The Redlands Police Department, with the support of state agencies, including the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Office of Traffic Safety, the County of San Bernardino, and local businesses and community groups, launched the initiative in late August 2013 to focus on enforcing alcohol laws.

The Responsible Redlands initiative aims to curb the problems related to binge and underage drinking in Redlands in order to achieve a safer, healthier community. The campaign includes DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols to identify intoxicated drivers, party patrols to enforce the City’s Social Host Ordinance, decoy operations to cite businesses and individuals who provide alcohol to underage persons and educational efforts for local businesses that serve alcohol. Responsible Redlands welcomes partnerships with alcohol retailers and establishments that serve alcohol.

The Responsible Redlands initiative addresses problems related to binge and underage drinking through ongoing strategic operations to enforce alcohol laws. It is a collaborative effort formed and led by the Redlands Police Department, supported by the Common Vision Coalition, local businesses and the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control District Office and State Office of Traffic Safety.

For suspected alcohol related violations, please call (909) 798-7681. Anonymous tips can be provided by texting 274637 using the keyword “REDTIP.” You can also call or send text messages to the confidential national WETip Hotline at 800-78CRIME (800-782-7463). For more information about Responsible Redlands, please visit here.

Redlands Police press releases and other information are available on the Redlands Police Department Facebook page or on the Department website here.

Images via the City of Redlands