Two people were arrested on suspicion of furnishing alcohol to a minor in Temecula, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Sunday.
The department’s Southwest station conducted a decoy “shoulder tap” operation on Saturday. The first adult was arrested in the 3300 block of Temecula Parkway, and the second adult was arrested in the 44000 block of Apis Road, authorities said.
Shoulder tap operations feature minors, under the supervision of sheriff’s deputies, attempting to have adults purchase alcohol for them from licensed retail businesses while indicating to the adult that they are underage and cannot purchase alcohol.
During the operation, the minors attempted to have 30 adults at four different retail locations purchase alcohol for them, Sgt. Chris Mattson said.
The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours community service, Mattson added.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control through the department’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program.
“We conduct these operations as an effort to keep alcohol out of the hands of our youth,” Alcohol Beverage Control Director Eric Hirata said. “This collaborative effort among California law enforcement agencies spotlights underage drinking prevention, increases public safety for communities, and helps reduce DUIs.”
The grant program will run through June.