Agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) and officers from over 40 police and sheriff’s departments cited over 150 individuals during a statewide underage drinking enforcement operation designed to create awareness to the problem of underage drinking, increase public safety and protect California’s youth.
The goal of the operation was to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking and make it clear to any adults that buy alcohol for minors that there are serious consequences. “Unfortunately, thousands of young people die in alcohol-related tragedies every year in this country,” said ABC Director Eric Hirata. “This collaborative effort among California peace officers creates awareness to underage drinking issues, increases public safety for communities and also boosts protections for California’s young people.”
The operation resulted in citations for 134 individuals who allegedly furnished alcoholic beverages to minors. At least 17 other individuals were either cited for open containers or public drunkenness or taken into custody for various crimes such as outstanding warrants, illegal drugs, or driving under the influence.
During the operation, a minor under the direct supervision of a police officer will stand outside a liquor or convenience store and ask patrons to buy them alcohol. The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol. If the adults agree, and purchase alcohol for the minor, officers then arrest and cite them for furnishing alcohol to the minor.
The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
maybe have them do some community service too!
These kind of stories make me cringe. This seems like the definition of “Entrapment”. Law abiding citizens going about their business are essentially tricked, manipulated or coerced into committing a crime that they wouldn’t have otherwise committed had they not been approached by law enforcement…in the name of some sort of “awareness campaign”.
How about providing some more details on what tactics were used? Was the “minor” 12 or was the “minor” one day shy of being 21. You can’t tell me that there isn’t a difference….
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No coercion or inducement of any kind in this scenario. If you know furnishing alcohol to minors is a crime (and ignorance of the law is not a defense), your willingness to break the law is manifest in agreeing to make the purchase. That counters your “law abiding citizen” argument.
“The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.” Doesn’t matter if the minor looks 30 years old, when the minor states that he or she is underage, agreeing to purchase the alcohol and completing the purchase is a crime.
@ Thunderdome
Under what scenario in your mind would you think it not strange for someone who is of lawful age to ask you to purchase alcohol for them?
They are too lazy to get off the curb and walk into the liquor store themselves? I forgot my ID and it’s just way way too far to go home and get it? I’m got a mustache thus I must be 21 or older so could you please, pretty please with sugar on top buy me some malt liquor?
Shoulder tap stings are not rocket science. A kid asks you to purchase alcohol for them. They make no promises or threats. They ask, Hey Mister will you buy some alcohol for me? I’ve got the money…Hell, If you have any common sense and simply ask them their age, they will tell you their actual age which will be under 21.
If that is way too much chicanery for you to resist, then you must be extra susceptible to a teenager’s Jedi mind tricks or the Bene Gesserit voice.
That thing on top of your shoulders is not there just to hang a hat on. You, I assume are an adult. Act like it and take responsibility for your actions.
Sh$?!t bums doing heroin. Smoking crack on sidewalks. Trash everywhere. No problem. All good. Open drug dealing spots and areas. Especially in San Francisco. Ho hum
Total entrapment. It is o.k. to steal from a store, break a car window and steal what is on the front seat yet you get approached (set up) and buy beer for a minor and you are one hell of a criminal. Forgo the fine and make them view a few alcohol related autopsies.
It’s not ok to do any of the things you mentioned, just our current liberals deciding not to put people away. Those arrested will pay a small fine and learn a lesson.
108RS
The Minors will ask Homeless people to buy them Alcohol because Homeless people are hard up for cash and will tell the Minors I will buy it but I need a couple dollars for me as payment
Was the goal of the operation to raise awareness, or to raise over 100 thousand dollars? 🤔
Just demand a “buyer’s fee” up front.
If they offer you a penny more than the cost of the booze, it’s entrapment.
Wonder what (if any) penalty there is these days for using a fake ID?
My daughter’s 20-year-old friend went to BevMo and they wouldn’t sell him a bottle of water because he wasn’t 21.
Zero tolerance!
Their excuse was the POS system would not okay the sale because it requires a DOB over age 21 for every sale. The cashier could have probably fudged the date but apparently she was by the book.
I have a relative who works for BevMo!
BevMo! policy is no one under 21 maybe in their stores unless accompanied by an adult.
They will not sell anything to anyone under 21 years of age AND some form of ID is required for anyone who looks under 40.
That is Corporate policy driven by employees who fudged the date and sold alcohol to minors. They have and will fire employees for violating this work place rule.
@Janus I haven’t been to BevMo in a long time, maybe 20 years, but come to think of it, I remember there was a sign up front in the 80s saying no one under 21 can enter. I had forgotten about that. I don’t remember the adult supervision requirement.
I guess the kid can’t read.
When I was a teenager we called it “spotting” or “scoring”. My brother and I were “spotting” outside a local liquor store and asked this guy to buy us some beer and he said, “You asked the wrong guy.” On his was out he flashed his LA County Sheriff’s badge. We vacated the area forthwith, looked back and the guy was laughing. He could have grabbed one of us, but I don’t think he cared that much.
“Buying Up” don’t know why, but that’s what the kids called it.
Hey, that was ME!!!!!!
108RS
I still remember the store in Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles I used to stand in front of. Only got a six pack a couple of times. Sixty five years ago. Nothing is new under the sun. No one got arrested. I didn’t even like beer. Got it for a date at a drive in.
I love how this thread morphed from a thread about underage drinking to old farts (like myself) reminiscing about when they hung-out in front of liquor stores and asked strangers to spot them a sixer. The last time I did that was 1977 when I was 16. By 17, no one carded me. Curse of the receding hairline.
Maybe they would be of more use at Sunvalley Mall.
People watch too much TV. Not entrapment.
“A valid entrapment defense has two related elements: (1) government inducement of the crime, and (2) the defendant’s lack of predisposition to engage in the criminal conduct. Mathews v. United States, 485 U.S. 58, 63 (1988). Of the two elements, predisposition is by far the more important.”
There is no inducement unless, as mentioned by someone above, a “buyer’s fee” or something similar is offered to induce the act. A plea for kindness or relief does not constitute an inducement. The target’s predisposition to participate in an illegal act is demonstrated by the act of agreeing to the purchase.
Here’s an excellent place to educate yourself:
https://tinyurl.com/22yd2jtb
Why would you buy for a minor? It seems like such a bad idea all the way around.