Claremont and Upland police made five arrests Friday, February 9 for furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors.

The “Shoulder Tap” operation, conducted in Claremont and Upland with California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agents and local law enforcement, targeted adults buying alcohol for minors. It works like this: a minor under the direct supervision of law enforcement stands outside of a store and asks customers to buy them alcohol. The minor also indicates they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.

“Underage drinking harms our community,” said Claremont Police Department Lieutenant David Hardin. “Preventing the sale of alcohol to minors will help to increase public safety and make our roads safer.”

The penalty for an adult who is convicted of agreeing to purchase alcohol for a minor underage person 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 ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “By preventing underage drinking we can increase the quality of life in our communities and reduce DUIs.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than older drivers, and about 25% of fatal crashes involve underage drinking.