Mammoth Lakes, CA – On Monday, January 20, 2020 members of the Mammoth
Lakes Police Department conducted a Tobacco Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation
outside of several businesses throughout the Town of Mammoth Lakes. The goal of
this operation was to limit minors’ access to tobacco products in the community by
identifying adults who will purchase these products for people under the age of 21.
Under the direct supervision of Officers, one minor decoy was stationed outside of
various licensed tobacco retailers. The undercover decoys then tried to “shoulder
tap” store patrons by telling them that they are minors and then asking the adults
to purchase tobacco products, including flavored vape liquid, for them. The minors
contacted 20 adults. Out of these 20, only 1 purchased a tobacco product for them.
This person was cited for PC 308(a) Furnishing Tobacco to a Minor, and is subject to
either criminal action for a misdemeanor or civil action brought by the district
attorney, punishable by a fine of two hundred dollars($200) for the first offense,
five hundred dollars ($500) for the second offense, and one thousand dollars
($1000) for the third offense.
This Operation was made possible by the California Department of Justice Tobacco
Grant Project, funded by Proposition 56, which was awarded to the Mammoth Lakes
Police Department to help combat underage tobacco sales, educate our business
owners and conduct community outreach on the dangers of tobacco.
Shoulder Tap and Minor Decoy Stings will continue this year with undercover
operations within Town limits. The Mammoth Lakes Police Department would like to
remind the businesses and residents of Mammoth Lakes that selling to and/or
purchasing tobacco products for minors under the age of 21 is illegal.
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Give me a BREAK , They give Jr High School kids Medical Pot Prescriptions if they feel a little ANXIETY or Nervous in School ! That stuff has 100X More destructive to the mind and body than a Little TOBACCO . Like Boiling the Calf in his Mothers Milk . Liberal Ignorance at its MAXIMUM.
Tinner….yep….maybe following those drunk guys leaving the tavern’s and driving their vehicles,on their way to get to the liquor stores to purchase more alcohol,and then maybe seeing the snowbunnies in front wanting cigs and buying for them too…MLPD could kill two or three birds with one stone…and gotta ask…what’s a “low inyo” ?
I think if MLPD really wants to make a killing with this would be to do it on a holiday week-end…get an underage teen snowbunny girl in front of the store dressed to the hilt (with a doobie in her hand)…and be asking all the drunk guy customers coming into the liquor store to buy her smokes….after one week-end,with all the citations and fines issued, all of,MLPD Officers would be driving brand new SUV’s to serve the city..
DD aka Low Inyo, are you aware how busy MLPD is doing more important things on holiday week ends?
My dad caught me smoking a cigarette when I was 11 yrs old, he didn’t smoke so he went to the store and bought a pack and was going to make me chain smoke the entire pack but I threw up after about 3, I never wanted anything to do with cigarettes ever again, and it didn’t cost taxpayers a penny.
My dad found a pack I had hidden (obviously not well) when I was 16. He normally dealt military style discipline but this time it was worse. He handed me the pack and said “I’m really disappointed”. Then he walked away.
I would much rather have had a Navy chewing out and restriction than that. Last pack I ever bought.
Trouble….take it from a going on 50 year smoker addicted to nicotine…one day the young kids and teen-agers might thank the people that maybe made it harder for underage people to buy tobacco products….
David, take it from me. Our government would rather send our normal youth to prison then they would college. I don’t buy into calling your hard love beliefs help. You want to help someone, Offer them a chance at a better way of life!
Sounds like something my mother in law would come up with. Unbelievable!