Two Cited for Furnishing Alcohol to Underage Volunteer

Two people were cited during a Shoulder Tap operation Monday, July 20, in which an underage volunteer under the direct supervision of a Redlands Police officer, stood outside five local businesses that sell alcohol and offered to give people entering the stores money to buy beer. A 32-year-old Redlands man was cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor after buying alcohol for the teen volunteer. Another 26-year-old Redlands man was cited for petty theft after he took the money, purchased the beer and left the location. A total of 22 people were solicited. The enforcement efforts are part of a $18,600 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The City Council accepted the ABC grant Nov. 18, 2014, for the Police Department to conduct minor decoy and shoulder tap operations. The grant also provides funding for Informed Merchants Preventing Alcohol-Related Crime Tendencies (IMPACT) inspections Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs (LEAD) classes for ABC-licensed businesses. Training is conducted by ABC’s Training/LEAD unit. The grant funding runs through Sept. 30, 2015, and covers officer overtime and equipment purchases. This project is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ABC grant operations are a component of the Redlands Police Department’s Responsible Redlands initiative, which city leaders said aims to curb the problems related to binge and underage drinking in Redlands in order to achieve a safer, healthier community. The campaign includes DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols to identify intoxicated drivers, party patrols to enforce the City’s Social Host Ordinance, decoy operations to cite businesses and individuals who provide alcohol to underage persons and educational efforts for local businesses that serve alcohol. Responsible Redlands welcomes partnerships with alcohol retailers and establishments that serve alcohol. For suspected alcohol​ related violations, please call 909-798​-7681. Anonymous tips can be provided by texting 274637 using the keyword “REDTIP.” You can also call or send text messages to the confidential national WE​Tip Hotline at 800-​78​CRIME (800​-782-​7463).