Cops in Shops to Catch Teens Buying Alcohol

Working with a nonprofit group, police said Thursday they will begin placing undercover officers in local liquor stores to catch underage youths with false identifications and others willing to buy alcohol for minors.

The Cops in Shops program is expected to begin immediately, officials said.

About 150 convenience stores in Santa Ana have agreed to participate in the program by allowing undercover officers to periodically work behind the counter as clerks.

Elisabeth Handler, a Century Council spokeswoman, said that merchants support the program because it targets the buyers rather than the store owners.

Santa Ana police approached the Century Council, a nonprofit organization funded by beverage companies, after reading about the program, said Handler.

Sgt. Bob Clark said police periodically conduct undercover sting operations targeting underage youths or those who buy alcohol for them, but never have placed officers inside stores.

The penalty for minors, or adults who buy for them, is up to 32 hours of community service and a $250 fine.

Officials will not say where officers will be at any given time. Yet signs warning that officers may be in the businesses, provided by the Century Council, will be in every store window.

“Whether there’s a cop in the shop or not,” Handler said, “the signs make it clear that there could be.”