Police cited one person in Manhattan Beach, one in Hermosa Beach and two in El Segundo for buying alcohol for a minor, while conducting a shoulder-tap sting on March 16.
A decoy minor, supervised by police officers, stood outside different stores, asking adults to buy alcohol for him or her – 176 adults were asked to purchase alcohol in the three cities.
The decoy told the adults their real age. “They’ll say something to effect of, ‘Hi, I’m 15 and the clerk won’t sell me beer because I’m 15, so could you buy me a beer?’” said Manhattan Beach Police Department Sergeant Chris Vargas.
This marks the third shoulder-tap sting the police have conducted since receiving a $50,000 grant to reduce alcohol-related crimes throughout the cities. The number of people cited during each sting has decreased since the program started. In December, 11 individuals out of 91 asked were cited, and in February, 13 out of about 230 were cited. “It’s having a positive effect now,” Vargas said.
The program is used to detect and deter alcohol sales to minors through education and enforcement, police said. Community members have expressed concern that the shoulder-tap method is entrapment. “The courts have ruled it’s not entrapment. It’s not entrapment because there’s nothing offered in exchange,” Vargas said. “The person buying for them is aware that the decoy is a minor.”
The grant extends to June 30, and also includes training to personnel in stores and restaurants licensed to sell alcohol, training for patrol officers and conducting inspections and sting operations to find out whether licensed establishments are following state laws and local operating permits.
