MEDIA ADVISORY

On August 21, 2024, the San José Police Department arrested two suspects in the city of San José for furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors.

SJPD conducted a Shoulder Tap operation which targets adults who purchase alcohol for persons under the age of 21. A minor under the direct supervision of law enforcement stands outside of a liquor or convenience store and asks customers to buy them alcohol. The minor also indicates they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.

If an adult agrees to purchase for the underage person, they can be arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor. The penalty is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

“We conduct these operations to keep alcohol out of the hands of our youth,” said Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Director Joseph McCullough. “By preventing underage drinking we can increase the quality of life in our communities and reduce DUIs.”

Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than older drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 25 percent of fatal crashes involve underage drinking.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the ABC Alcohol Policing Partnership (APP) program.

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.

Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.