Improve the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement

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Improve the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement: Introduction

Strategies and Approaches to Improve the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement

What Communities Can Do

What Parents Can Do

What Agencies Can Do

What Schools Can Do

Strategies & Approaches › Improve Law Enforcement › Conduct Random, Periodic Decoy and Shoulder-Tap Operations

Conduct Random, Periodic Decoy and Shoulder-Tap Operations

One of the main ways that young people obtain alcohol from commercial sources is to ask of-age strangers to buy it for them. In "shoulder tap" operations, an undercover operative approaches an adult outside a store and asks the adult to buy him or her alcohol. If the adult agrees and does so, he or she is cited for furnishing alcohol to someone underage. As with all undercover operations, decisions about the characteristics of the volunteers used, the scripts delivered, the types of establishments and potential buyers targeted, the time of day, and other concerns are paramount to the effectiveness of the response. Very few of these operations have been evaluated, but case studies suggest that highly publicized operations that generate a large number of citations are likely to have a deterrent effect and reduce the amount of alcohol minors obtain through third parties.

Issue

It is believed that community members are purchasing alcohol for minors who approach them outside of retail outlets.

Strategy

Law enforcement should review complaints and information provided by citizens, parents, and school officials, and plan an investigation accordingly, and in conjunction with the Alcohol Control Board. Before the shoulder-tap operation officially begins, publicize the enforcement through the local media. Issue a press release announcing the program and its goals and objectives. Since many adults are not aware of the seriousness of the offense, the publicity of those arrested sends a strong message to those who may be inclined to assist a minor in getting alcohol.

In 1998, a joint operation was initiated by Alcohol Beverage Control's Special Operations Unit, the Sutter County Sheriff's Department, and the Yuba City Police Department to conduct a seven-week effort in which 15-to 18-year olds were used as decoys. During the operation, a total of 24 adults were arrested. At the beginning of the program, one out of every three adults agreed to furnish beer to the minors. At the end of the program, only one out of 35 adults would furnish.

Interestingly, 38 percent of those arrested had extensive criminal histories, and 21 percent of the adults arrested demanded extra money from the decoys for their own personal profit. Thirteen percent of those arrested gave free beer to the minors and did not ask for money. Fifty percent of the adults arrested were booked into the county jail for other violations such as outstanding felony warrants, probation or parole violations, possession of narcotics, possession of stolen property, and public intoxication.

The Sutter County District Attorney agreed to prosecute 100% of the cases. Local liquor stores became more active in calling the police or sheriff's department to report minors loitering in front of their stores trying to have adults furnish them beer. Several adults who were approached by the decoys verbally reprimanded the decoys (not knowing they were cadets) and warned them about drinking alcohol.

For additional strategies and approaches for improving the effectiveness of law enforcement, see the following:

What You Can Do: Community
What You Can Do: Parents
What You Can Do: Agencies
What You Can Do: Schools

References:
Underage Drinking Prevention Action Guide and Planner. 2001. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Available at: http://media.shs.net/prevline/pdfs/phd858.pdf#search=%22underage%20drinking%20prevention%20action%20guide%20and%20planner%22. Accessed on [08/25/06]

Underage Drinking Prevention Action Guide and Planner. 2001. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Available at: http://media.shs.net/prevline/pdfs/phd858.pdf#search=%22underage%20drinking%20prevention%20action%20guide%20and%20planner%22. Accessed on [08/25/06]

A Guide to Zero Tolerance and Graduated Licensing: Two Strategies that Work. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Available at: http://www.udetc.org/documents/Guide2zero.pdf#search=%22a%20guide%20to%20zero%20tolerance%20and%20graduated%20licensing%22. Accessed on [09/06/06]

California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Develops an Innovative Liquor Law Enforcement Program—TRACE—to Enforce Underage Drinking Laws. Successful Innovations: News from the Field. Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center. Jan. 2005. http://www.udetc.org/success_stories/CA0105.pdf. [Accessed on 08/02/06]

Bonnie, R.J. & M.E. O’Connell (eds). 2003. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.

Johnson, K.D. Underage Drinking: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Problem-Specific Guides Services. U.S. Dept. of Justice. Available at: http://www.popcenter.org/problems/PDFs/underage.pdf#search=%22statistics%20on%20alcohol%20free%20events%20and%20underage%20drinking%22. Accessed on [09/01/06]

Shoulder Tap Program. 2003. Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. Available at: http://www.abc.ca.gov/programs/Shoulder_tap.html. Accessed on [09/06/06]

Saturation Patrols and Sobriety Checkpoints. Available at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/SobrietyCheck/. Accessed on [09/06/06]

A Practical Guide to Preventing and Dispersing Underage Drinking Parties. 2005. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation: Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.

Underage Drinking in California: California Town Hall Meetings. Community Prevention Institute. March, 2006.

Facts for Teens: Teens and Alcohol. National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. 2002. http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/teens/alcohol.asp. Accessed on [07/28/06]

Youth and Underage Drinking: An Overview. US Department of Health and Human Services. http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/RPO990/. [Accessed on 08/01/06]

Spear, L.P. Alcohol’s Effects on Adolescents. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 2003.