Police cite Hollister clerk for selling alcohol to minors

The Hollister Police Department, along with agents of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, cited a clerk at a local business for selling alcohol to minors on June 18, authorities said. 

The citation was the result of a “minor decoy” operation in which minors under the direct supervision of department agents, attempted to purchase alcohol from 15 retail licensees in the City of Hollister, says a press release from the Hollister Police Department. 

Clerks who sold alcohol to a minor face a minimum fine of $250, and 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation, authorities said. In addition, ABC may take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to a minor. That may include a fine, suspension or the permanent revocation of the license.

“Conducting these operations allows us to help reduce underage drinking and increase public safety,” said Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso. 

ABC Director Eric Hirata added, “Businesses should always check IDs before selling alcohol. Preventing access to people not old enough to legally purchase alcohol improves safety on our roadways and in our communities.”

Statistics have shown that young people younger than 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a traffic crash than older drivers, says the press release. About 25 percent of fatal crashes involve underage drinking according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Minor decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980s. When the program first began, the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 50 percent, police said. When conducted on a routine basis, the rate has dropped to below 10% in some cities. 

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