Minor decoy program comes to an end

The minor decoy program was funded with an $18,500 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).The program used underage decoys who volunteer to attempt to purchase alcohol from businesses that are licensed by the ABC to sell alcohol.(Some of the decoys) are interested in law enforcement or in the police cadet program, said Capt. Ron Lawrence of the Rocklin Police Department. The only payment they receive is they get to have pizza afterward.The grant called for at least nine decoy attempts, six at retail stores or off-sale establishments and three at restaurants and bars, or on-sale establishments.Although the decoys were successful in purchasing alcohol during the 18-month period, Lawrence said the last attempt did not produce any violations.We were pleasantly surprised, he said. It indicates that the program is successful.There are various of penalties for selling alcohol to a person under the age of 21.The person who actually sells the alcohol can be charged with a criminal offense punishable by a fine and/or jail or community service while the ABC can sanction the business with a fine, suspension of its license or, for repeat offenders, the license can be revoked.According to ABC District Administrator Katie Lenihan, the grants are awarded in a bidding process.We're looking for the most efficient use of the money, she said.The penalty a business faces depends on its track record, she said.If a business has been licensed for several years with no offenses, the penalty could be only probation while a business who has been cited repeatedly could lose its license altogether, Lenihan said.The E-Z Stop Market on Rocklin Road was cited twice for selling alcohol to a minor during the decoy period, according to the ABC and the Rocklin police. In December 2006, Safeway on Granite Drive in Rocklin was cited, early in this current decoy program. However, according the ABC, it was also cited in February 2005.The first offense resulted in a $5,000 fine while the 2006 violation cost Safeway $20,000.Safeway's Manager of Corporate Public Affairs, Teena Massingill said the store responded by reinforcing the importance of asking for identification from those wishing to purchase alcohol and instituting an in-store training program for its employees.Across the street from Safeway on Granite Drive, Jasper's Giant Hamburgers was cited just last month.It was the first time in almost 20 years, said Manager John Naugle. Our response was pretty severe, he said. We take pride in our reputation.Jasper's policy now is to ask everyone, regardless of age, for identification when ordering alcohol.I went through and reaffirmed that we now card everybody, Naugle said. We have an image to maintain, this is not something we want to be associated with. We do not see it happening again, he said.Siavash Iranpour, manager of Tesoro of Rocklin Road and Pacific Street was also cited for selling alcohol to a decoy.To me, he looked old enough, Iranpour said. Iranpour's store was fined $3,000 by the ABC and he was sentence to 30 hours community service for the criminal portion of the offense.Now I card everyone, he said. I can't afford another fine.The Bel Air supermarket on Sunset Boulevard did not sell to a decoy.Store Manager Erik Hanson emphasized that employees get frequent training on selling alcohol.We just make sure we ID everyone who looks like they are under 30, he said. We just never know.