PLACERVILLE, Calif. — The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded an $85,000 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control through its Alcohol Policing Partnership program to help reduce alcohol-related harm in the county. The Board of Supervisors approved acceptance of the award Sept. 16, 2025; the grant covers the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026 fiscal period.
The award is part of a larger ABC distribution that will provide nearly $3 million to 47 local law enforcement agencies across California for the 2025–26 fiscal year. The statewide grants are intended to strengthen local partnerships with ABC and curb problems tied to retail alcohol outlets, including underage sales and service to obviously intoxicated patrons.
“Too many young people are killed in alcohol-related incidents every year,”
ABC Acting Director Frank Robles said in the department’s announcement.
“If we can limit youth access to alcohol, and prevent service to obviously intoxicated patrons, then we can save lives and strengthen communities.”
How the money will be used locally
The purpose of these funds is very specific:
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Reduce alcohol-related harm in the community.
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Support enforcement operations targeting illegal alcohol sales to minors and obviously intoxicated individuals.
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Conduct shoulder tap operations (where underage decoys attempt to get adults to purchase alcohol for them).
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Carry out decoy operations at licensed establishments to ensure businesses follow alcohol laws.
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Provide training for deputies and local businesses on responsible alcohol service and compliance.
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Enhance community outreach and education to prevent underage drinking and reduce DUI incidents.
In short, the grant allows the Sheriff’s Office to combine enforcement, prevention, and education to make El Dorado County safer, especially for youth and families, by addressing underage drinking, impaired driving, and unlawful alcohol sales.
The APP program lets recipients combine enforcement, prevention and education. In El Dorado County, the funds are expected to pay for activities such as compliance checks, minor-decoy operations, shoulder-tap enforcement, ABC-led training for officers, and merchant education aimed at improving voluntary compliance by licensees. Agencies that receive APP funding typically also strengthen data systems to track alcohol-related incidents and coordinate ABC and local enforcement actions.
What residents can expect
Residents should expect targeted enforcement at retail outlets and increased public education campaigns around the county, especially at times when alcohol-related incidents rise, such as holidays and large public events. APP grants historically fund operations like “minor decoy” stings and “shoulder tap” stings (where adults are asked to buy alcohol for minors), along with merchant training programs such as IMPACT (Informed Merchants Preventing Alcohol-Related Crime Tendencies). Those tactics are designed to reduce youth access to alcohol and limit sales to already-intoxicated patrons.
Local officials say acceptance of the grant will allow the Sheriff’s Office to expand enforcement and prevention work without drawing from the county’s general fund. The county agenda item recommending acceptance noted the grant’s purpose explicitly as reducing underage drinking and its associated harms.
Why it matters
Problem retail outlets can become focal points for crime and calls for service. ABC’s APP guidance says focused enforcement and coordinated prevention efforts reduce alcohol-related arrests, public intoxication, and nuisance activity, and can relieve pressure on local law enforcement resources over time. Community members who see suspected illegal sales or repeat nuisance activity at a business are encouraged to report it to the Sheriff’s Office or ABC so incidents can be tracked and addressed.
