Anonymous
(stock photo)
Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The Sheriff’s Office is releasing the results of our Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) grant funded operations for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Thanks to the funding we received, the Sheriff’s Office was able to provide enhanced enforcement and education to battle alcohol-related crimes in the Isla Vista and Goleta communities including during the Halloween and Deltopia operations. The goal is to reduce the number of alcoholic beverage sales to minors, illegal solicitations and possession of alcohol as well as other criminal activities involving alcohol consumption and abuse. The grant funding is also utilized to educate both on-sale and off-sale establishments with the importance of operating within the restrictions of their ABC licenses.
As part of the grant, nine Minor Decoy Operations were conducted. In those scenarios, a decoy under the age of 21 attempted to buy alcohol from businesses that sell alcohol. During the operations, 47 restaurant/bars were visited and 67 liquor/grocery store locations were contacted. Of those, 15 locations sold alcohol to the minor decoy. The employee that sold the alcohol was cited for the criminal violation and an administrative violation was forwarded to the Alcohol Beverage Control for license action.
The Sheriff’s Office also conducted 11 Shoulder Tap Operations throughout the year. In these scenarios, a minor decoy stands near a store and asks people to purchase alcohol for them because they are under age 21. During these operations, 479 people were contacted and of those 28 people were cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor.
The Sheriff’s Office appreciates its proactive partnership with ABC to address alcohol-related issues that continue to negatively impact the Isla Vista community and surrounding areas. The grant funding is important to increase protection for our youth by keeping alcohol away from minors and holding those who provide alcohol to minors accountable.
It would be nice if they would provide us with a cost of this effort. “Grant” funds are still taxpayer dollars. I doubt that the effort to bust a couple of dozen “good Samaritans” is worth the money it took and I seriously doubt that local taxpayer revenue would be prioritized for such purposes over more important problems if the Board of Supervisors and Sheriff was allowed to make the decision.
Welfare for the middle class paid by you and me to enforce a nonsensical law. DECIDE SANTA BARBARA! Are we adults at 18 or 21 or 16 or26, when brains are supposedly fully developed? Adults at 18 can drive, vote, enter into contracts, have babies (even at 12), marry, work and go to war – and get drafted into war against their will. In our local schools, we register any and all students (non-citizens included) to vote at age 16 their junior year of high school. These16 year olds dependent on their teacher or parent determine their party affiliation as per Hannah-Beth’s Jackson’s plan to grow the DNC. If they are ‘adult-enough’ to vote, Drive, smoke marijuana, be sent to war, don’t waste taxpayer grant money policing alcohol.