SR-11-24-2015-3D
City Council
Report
City Council Regular Meeting: November 24, 2015
Agenda Item: 3.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jacqueline Seabrooks, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Accept Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Grant
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant awarded in the amount of $10,800 from
the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for the 2015 Department
of Alcoholic Beverage Control's ABC-OTS Grant Program.
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of this report.
Executive Summary
The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has been awarded an ABC grant in the
amount of $10,800. Funds must be used by the end of the grant period, September 30,
2016. No local match is required.
The purpose of this grant is to assist the Police Department in conducting operations
that reduce the number of licensees who sell alcohol to minors or adults who furnish
alcohol to minors, as well as providing education to merchants through inspections. All
enforcement operations would be conducted on an overtime basis which would be
funded by the grant.
Background
The ABC-OTS Grant Program, previously called the ABC Multi-Program Mini Grant,
provides funding to support three programs: the Minor Decoy Program, Shoulder Tap
Program, and IMPACT (Informed Merchants Preventing Alcohol-Related Crime
Tendencies) inspections. Funding for the project comes from the Office of Traffic Safety
through the National Highway Safety Administration. The City has been a recipient of
funding from this ABC grant program previously in 2011 and 2014. The 2015 grant
program would provide funding for overtime costs associated with education and
enforcement operations. The funds must be spent by September 30, 2016.
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Discussion
One of the Police Department's priorities is to address quality of life issues which
include the illegal purchasing and distribution of alcohol by and to minors. With 346 ABC
active licensees, Santa Monica has one of the highest ratios of alcohol establishme nts-
to-population in the State. Communities, such as Santa Monica, with a high
concentration of alcohol outlets experience a greater number of alcohol-related
problems.
This grant focuses on education and enforcement. The funds would allow the Santa
Monica Police Department to continue to expand its present efforts in identifying and
targeting problematic ABC licensed establishments. The grant would fund five overtime
minor decoy operations, five shoulder tap operations, and 40 IMPACT inspections. In
addition, Santa Monica would host a LEAD (Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs)
class, led by ABC's LEAD unit, for ABC licensees located within the City of Santa
Monica during the term of the agreement.
The goal of the Minor Decoy Program is to reduce the number of licensees who sell
alcohol to minors. The Minor Decoy Program uses supervised individuals, who are
under the age of 20, to attempt to purchase alcohol at licensed premises. Any sale of
alcohol to a minor decoy subjects the seller/employee and the licensee to criminal and
administrative sanctions. The Minor Decoy Program has proven to be a significant and
effective tool in promoting responsible practices in the sale of alcoholic beverages by
licensees, reducing substance abuse, and enhancing community welfare by limiting
underage access to alcohol. Following each operation, the Police Department issues a
press release sharing the results of the operation. This strategy serves as a deterrent by
notifying the community that enforcement is happening and encouraging ABC licensed
establishments to follow the laws.
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The Shoulder Tap Program targets adults who furnish alcohol to minors. "Shoulder
Tapping" refers to the practices used by minors to obtain alcohol from adult strangers
near off-sale retail outlets. Data collected from prior Shoulder Tap Programs reflected
one-third of the adults arrested for purchasing alcohol for minors were on parole,
probation, or had outstanding warrants or extensive criminal histories. Similarly to the
Minor Decoy Program, the Shoulder Tap Program uses supervised individuals, who are
under the age of 20, to attempt to have an adult purchase alcohol for them at ABC
licensed establishments.
IMPACT inspections focus on licensee education. Officers randomly select licensed
outlets to conduct business-friendly compliance inspections. The officers look for
loitering, litter, graffiti, posted sign violations, lack of food service in restaurants, illegal
weapons, or other violations. The licensee must then correct any identified problem
areas. Follow up visits are conducted to ensure the licensee has corrected the problem.
During the 2014 grant period, staff used the grant monies to fund 10 enforcement
operations targeting the illegal distribution and purchasing of alcohol by and to minors.
During the course of operations, minor decoys visited 53 ABC licensed establishments
to buy alcohol, and contacted over 400 people via “Shoulder Tapping.” In addition,
investigators inspected a total of 44 establishments with “on sale” and “off sale” ABC
licenses. Staff conducted one LEAD class providing merchant education to 75 alcohol
licensees.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Award of a $10,800 grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control requires the
following FY 2015-16 budget changes:
1. Establish revenue budget at account 20306.406042 in the amount of $10,800.
2. Appropriate the following expenditures to reflect receipt of the California Alcoholic
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Beverage Control's ABC-OTS grant: $10,800 at account 20306.511490 89009W.
Prepared By: Nicole Bustamante, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council