Oakland, CA – The Oakland Police Department has received a grant of $97,500 from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for a year-long program aimed at preventing the unlawful sale of alcoholic beverages, including illegal sales to minors, through special enforcement and public awareness efforts.
The grant will aid in the City’s ongoing effort to prevent the sales of alcoholic beverages to minors. According to the National Institute On Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 7.7 million people ages 12–20 (20.3% of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reported that adolescents use alcohol more than any other drug, including tobacco and marijuana. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a youth risk behavior survey in 2019 and found that 29% of high school students drank alcohol in the past 30 days.
OPD has verified that alcohol sales to minors decrease when target intervention initiatives, financed through grant funds can be applied.
Activities that the grant will fund include:
· Minor decoy operations
· Anti-loitering operations focusing on liquor stores and bars
· Enforcement operations to identify minors who possess false identifications or alcoholic beverages
· Inspections at liquor stores and bars
· Merchant outreach and education seminars
· Community meetings to increase involvement with local groups
Funding for this program is provided by the California Department Of Alcoholic Beverage Control; Alcohol Policing Partnership.