Menlo Park police officers and California Alcoholic Beverage Control agents made five arrests on Oct. 15 for furnishing alcohol to minors as part of the Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation.
The program targets adults who purchase alcohol for people under 21 years of age, according to a statement from the Menlo Park Police Department.
"Under the program, a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer will stand outside a liquor or convenience store and ask patrons to buy them alcohol," the release said. "The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol."
And If the adult agrees to purchase alcohol for the minor, they're arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to the minor, for which the penalty is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
"The program is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors," police said. "Statistics show they generally have a higher rate of drunk driving crashes than adults. Studies also show that when youth are able to access alcohol, the chance of criminal activities increase."
