Full Notification

On 5/22/2021 Officer with the Lakeport Police Department and Agents with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control participated in a statewide underage drinking enforcement operation. The operation our officers and the agents conducted is referred to as a “Shoulder Tap”.

A Shoulder Tap is a covert operation in which an undercover minor decoy volunteer solicits adults to purchase alcohol for them. The minor decoy makes it clear to the adult that they are a minor and they have money to purchase the alcohol but cannot because of their age. If an adult purchases the minor alcohol they are placed under arrest and either booked at the county jail or released on a citation at the scene.
During the operation, the team visited 6 separate businesses that sell alcohol. The minor decoy asked 28 adults to purchase alcohol for them.

At approximately 1310 hours, the minor decoy asked and was provided alcohol by Donald Johnson of Sunnyvale CA. The team contacted Johnson and subsequently placed him under arrest for providing alcohol to a minor. Jonson was released with a citation at the scene.

The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1000 fine and 24 hours of community service. The program is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors.

The Lakeport Police Department is committed to enforcing alcohol-related laws and keeping alcohol out of the possession of minors. This project is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Alcohol Policing Partnership and was funded through grant funds the Lakeport Police Department was awarded through that program.