Roseville, Calif.- On January 24, the Roseville Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) conducted a Minor Shoulder Tap Operation, where underage decoys asked adults outside a convenience store in the 200 block of Washington Boulevard to purchase alcohol for them. The operation was funded by a grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
Two adults, a 30-year-old male from Roseville and a 21-year-old female from Roseville, purchased alcohol for the minor decoy. Both were contacted by police officers after the transactions and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor.
ABC awarded the Roseville Police Department a $9,882 grant to conduct Shoulder Tap Operations. The purpose of “Shoulder Tap” is to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors by discouraging adults from purchasing it for them.
Roseville Police Chief Joel Neves said, “This should serve as a warning to adults: don’t furnish alcohol to kids. We plan to conduct several more Shoulder Tap Operations, and that teenager outside the store asking you to buy beer might very well be one of our decoys. It’s irresponsible and dangerous to provide alcohol to minors, whether that underage person is a friend, a family member, or a stranger outside a convenience store.”
Adults who furnish alcohol to minors are subject to a $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service. “Furnishing” includes either giving alcohol to minors or buying it for them. If the minor drinks the alcohol and then gets injured or dies, or causes injury or death to anyone else, the adult who furnished the alcohol to the minor can go to jail for six months to a year.