ESCONDIDO – On March 2020, the Escondido Police Department conducted an operation commonly referred to as a shoulder tap operation. During these operations, minors (under the age of 21) hang out in front of local stores where alcohol is sold. They approach patrons before they enter the store and ask the patron to buy alcohol for them. Buying alcohol for a minor is a violation of the California Business & Professions Code 25658(a).
During the one day operation, minors stood in front of 11 different stores in Escondido. They approached 116 different patrons, but only 1 bought alcohol for the minors. That patron received a citation for the B&P Code. Although we had one patron buying alcohol for a minor, we consider it a huge success that 115 others chose to obey the law.
Keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors is an important concern for the police department. It’s refreshing to see that the vast majority of our community is doing their part in preventing this from happening.
