7 people cited for allegedly giving alcohol to a minor, police say
The citations were given during three undercover operations in February and March, according to police.
Long Beach police cited seven people during February and March for allegedly giving alcohol to a minor, authorities said Wednesday.
The citations were given during three undercover “Shoulder Tap” operations, during which Long Beach police used an underage “decoy” – someone over the age of 18 but not yet 21 – according to police.
The operations were held at 16 locations throughout Long Beach, including Bixby Knolls, Wrigley, Central Long Beach, Downtown and other areas, according to data provided by the LBPD. A police spokesperson said she could not say which specific locations had the seven citations.
During the operations, the decoy, who was always under the “direct supervision” of law enforcement, stood outside a liquor or convenience store and asked customers to buy them alcohol, police said. The decoy also told customers that they were underage and could not legally purchase alcohol themselves, according to the LBPD.
Adults who agreed to buy alcohol for the decoy were then subject to arrest and/or citation, police said. The penalty for giving alcohol to an underage person is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service, according to the LBPD.
Funding for the operations came through a grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program, police said. Five Shoulder Tap operations are conducted during the 12-month period of the grant, a police spokesperson said.
"Underage drinking harms our community," said LBPD Commander Michael Richens in a statement Wednesday. "Preventing the sale of alcohol to minors will benefit the community, help increase public safety and make our roads safer."
In 2022, the most recent available year, 22% of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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