Are They Over 21? Better Be Sure

The and the Sonoma Valley branch of the Sheriff's Department will be cracking down on underage drinkers, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

Nicknamed "Shoulder Tap Program” the department will use a team of trained minors to act as decoys for law enforcement, to catch adults and bartenders who fail to check age or ID before providing alcohol.

“We’re pretty excited to get it and it’ll be good to prevent underage sales to minors," said Sonoma Police Sgt. Spencer Crum.

The program has been used since 1994, when the California Supreme Court passed legislation legalizing the use of decoys to catch alcohol providers in the act.

According to stats from the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, the program’s been effective: in 1994 the violation rate of test towns was nearly 50 percent; by 1997 the violation rate dropped to less than 10 percent.

Aside from reducing underage drinking the program is designed to raise public awareness about the dangers of providing minors with alcohol.  

And the penalties are steep.

If you’re caught providing a minor with alcohol, you face a $1,000 fine, at minimum, and 24 hours of community service; if the minor harms themselves or others after drinking, the provider can face 6-12 months in jail.

The Sonoma Police Department started their program July 1 and will continue the ramp up through June 30, 2012.

According to Crumb, the Sonoma Valley department was one of only a handful of groups to get a grant this year and received the second highest grant overall, just after the Santa Clara Police Department. 

The grant will also provide extra funds for undercover officers during the to keep an eye out for underage drinkers.