Decoy Shoulder Tap
The Shoulder Tap Program Decoy Method is one of the local and State law enforcement agencies efforts to enforce laws prohibiting underage drinking:
Drug Free Grady of Grady County Georgia with local city law enforcement; conduct the last Shoulder Tap Program on February 13, 2013. Young people approached adults seven different times and locations. Four (4) Adults refused and Three (3) Adults purchased alcohol for the young people. Those three (3) adults were arrested.
Even though Drug Free Grady found this prohibiting underage drinking method was successful. They are early developments to determine how often this will be conducted annually or how often.
“Mr. Will You” or Shoulder Tap Programs is designed to address the problem in the following two ways.
- Law enforcement officials may be most interested in discouraging adults from making purchases for youth.
- Instead of asking a store clerk or bartender to sell alcohol to them, the young people approach individuals outside of alcohol outlets and ask them to make the purchase. They can institute a program, which uses trained young people as decoys (much like a compliance check).
- If the adult buys and hands over alcohol to the youth, a law enforcement officer or alcohol enforcement agent arrests or cites the adult. Often police will find that many of the adult offenders in a shoulder tap program are wanted for other offenses.
- Law enforcement officials are interested in discouraging young people from asking adults to make purchases for them.
- Undercover enforcement officers “hang out” near alcohol outlets and wait to see if they are approached by young people and asked to purchase alcohol.
- Depending upon the laws in the state, youth may be cited or given a warning if they ask an adult to secure alcohol illegally for them.