Shoulder Tap Operation Leads To 3 Palm Springs Arrests

State investigators from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control worked with officers from more than 90 law enforcement agencies Friday in the largest Shoulder Tap Operation ever assembled in California.

Authorities arrested three people in Palm Springs. They were cited for providing minors with alcohol, according to Palm Springs police.

Under the program, law enforcement officers worked with minors, who stood outside convenience stores or liquor stores. They asked customers to buy them alcohol and indicated they were underage. If the adults agreed to purchase alcohol for the minors, officers arrested and cited them. The penalty for buying alcohol for a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and also 24 hours of community service.

According to the American Medical Association, underage drinking can increase chances of risky sexual behavior and teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, compromise health and also result in unintentional injury and death.