One in five San Mateo businesses targeted in a recent decoy operation by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control sold alcohol to underage purchasers, according to a San Mateo police report.
Police officers and ABC agents accompanied the decoys - all police cadets under the age of 20 - to 30 businesses and stood by while the minors attempted to purchase alcohol.
At six businesses, the decoys succeeded when the store workers failed to check the buyers' identification and handed over the booze, police said.
The workers were given "stern admonitions" and citations that could result in hefty fines, according to police. The businesses where the sales occurred face license suspension or revocation, depending on whether prior violations have occurred.
Police say such decoy operations are conducted on a regular basis throughout the state to provide an incentive for businesses selling alcohol to obey liquor laws.
"It is critical that our licensed ABC establishments adhere to the laws that are meant to protect minors," San Mateo Chief of Police Susan Manheimer said in a prepared statement.
"This is where enforcement starts, at the very counter where the alcohol is sold," she said.
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