Police publishes results of 2015-2016 alcohol enforcement

From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 the Escondido Police Depart­ment conducted a series of alcohol related enforcement and education op­erations. The operations were funded with a grant from the California De­partment of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) through the grant Assistance Program. The goal of these operations is to reduce alcohol-related crimes, in­cluding the sales of alcohol to minors. Below is a summary of the results of this grant;

Minor Decoy Operations: This op­eration involves an underage “Minor Decoy”, working under the direction of police detectives. The decoy enters various businesses in Escondido and attempts to purchase alcohol. Three operations were conducted, 35 busi­nesses were visited, resulting in three arrests/citations.

Shoulder Tap Operations: Shoul­der Tap Operations involve a minor, working under the direction of police detectives, who approaches patrons of businesses and asks them to purchase alcohol for the minor. Six operations were conducted. Twenty-nine busi­nesses were visited with 211 people contacted. Eight people were cited for purchasing alcohol for a minor.

General Enforcement: Operations targeting thefts of alcohol from busi­nesses (“Beer Runs”), operations ad­dressing businesses that sell alcohol to obviously intoxicated people, and narcotics related offenses were also key components of this grant. Fifteen general enforcement operations were conducted. Thirty businesses were visited, resulting in 11 arrests/cita­tions.

IMPACT: Twenty-three establish­ments were inspected throughout the year. The inspections ensured that ABC licensed establishments were complying with the law and terms of their alcohol sales license.

ABC L.E.A.D. Training: The Es­condido Police Dept. hosted 2 LEAD training classes. The LEAD program is a free, voluntary prevention and edu­cation program for retail alcohol sales establishments, and their employees. The classes include instruction on checking various forms of identifica­tion, detecting and preventing illegal activity, and reducing liability. The next ABC LEAD training is scheduled for Friday, July 30 at Escondido City Hall-Mitchell Room. Additional in­formation can be found at www.abc.ca.gov