Long Beach Police Department

The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) cited two suspects during an ABC Shoulder Tap operation on February 28, 2026, and cited two suspects during ABC’s statewide Shoulder Tap operation on March 14, 2026, in Long Beach for furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors. This enforcement operation is designed to create awareness about the dangers of underage drinking throughout California and keep communities safe.

A Shoulder Tap operation focuses on adults who purchase alcohol for persons under the age of 21. An underage volunteer under the direct supervision of law enforcement stands outside of a liquor or convenience store and asks customers to buy them alcohol. The volunteer also indicates they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.

If an adult agrees to purchase alcohol for the underage person, they can be arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor 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 Paul Tupy. “By preventing underage drinking, we can increase the quality of life in our communities and reduce DUIs.”

Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than older drivers. Almost a third of young drivers killed in fatal crashes involved underage drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

These operations were funded by ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program and the California Office of Traffic Safety through NHTSA.