San Diego County California Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff’s Deputies and California Department of Alcoholic and Beverage Control (ABC) Agents conducted a drunk decoy operation in Vista on Saturday, December 5th from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

An undercover deputy entered a licensed establishment and acted obviously intoxicated. He smelled of alcohol, stumbled into the store, slurred his speech, dropped items, bumped into displays, etc. He then tried to purchase alcohol. It is a misdemeanor in California to sell alcohol to someone who is obviously drunk.

If the clerk sold the undercover deputy alcohol, deputies and ABC agents entered the store to explain why the decoy shouldn’t have been sold alcohol. Of the eight locations visited, four sold to the decoy.

The operation is for educational purposes only and no enforcement action will be taken. This operation is part of a $100,000 grant from ABC.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) says 4,320 people were arrested for DUI in San Diego County in 2014 and there were 1,121 DUI-related crashes last year.

In the summer of 2015, eleven people were killed in DUI-related crashes. The Decoy Drunk operation is aimed at keeping impaired drivers from roadways and preventing crashes that can cause serious injury or death.