UPDATE: Hangar 24 Cited for Selling Alcohol to Teenage Decoys

Update 9:29 p.m. A representative for Hangar 24 Craft Brewery issued a statement Monday evening about the business getting cited for selling alcohol to two 19-year-old women during a Redlands police minor decoy operation on Friday May 31.

"Hangar 24 was disappointed to learn of this citation, as we do everything possible to train all of our servers and give them the education necessary to serve beer in a legal and safe environment," Hangar 24 spokesman Robert Bledsoe said.

"All of our servers undergo TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) training, authorized by the State of California, for training servers to follow legal and safety procedures when serving the public," Bledsoe said.

"However, our servers are human, and one apparently had a lapse in judgment, even though they had underwent their TIPS training this past November. Immediately following this, Hangar 24 called a meeting of its entire service staff to reiterate the importance of the training and to properly card everyone who might be underage."

Police, a state Alcoholic Beverage Control investigator, and two 19-year-old females visited 24 bars and restaurants licensed to sell alcohol on the premises on Friday, Redlands spokesman Carl Baker said in a statement distributed Monday afternoon.

Hangar 24 on Sessums Drive was the only business that sold alcohol to the minors, Baker said.

Posted 6:49 p.m. Hangar 24 Craft Brewery was cited for selling alcohol to two teenagers during a Redlands police minor decoy operation on Friday May 31, a city spokesman announced Monday.

Police, a state Alcoholic Beverage Control investigator, and two 19-year-olds visited 24 bars and restaurants licensed to sell alcohol on the premises on Friday, Redlands spokesman Carl Baker said.

Hangar 24 on Sessums Drive was the only business that sold alcohol to the minors, Baker said.

"The 26-year-old bartender at a portable beer stand on the business' patio served both decoys without asking for identification or asking their ages," Baker said. "The bartender was issued a citation and the business was served with ABC administrative paperwork, which could result in fines or license suspensions from ABC."

Each of the other 23 businesses asked for identification and declined to serve the decoys, Baker said.

Hangar 24, which hosted more than 15,000 people for its AirFest & 5th Anniversary Celebration in May, is in the process of creating a Redlands 125th Red Ale to mark the city's quasquicentennial.

"Police credit the decoy operations and other education efforts for reducing violations," Baker said. "During decoy operations, minor decoys are required to answer truthfully if asked their age and to provide valid identification indicating they are underage to buy alcohol."

A $7,500 grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control helped pay for the operation, Baker said.

The city council accepted the ABC grant Feb. 5 for police to conduct minor decoy operations as well as "shoulder tap" operations, where police get underage volunteers outside businesses to ask people to purchase alcohol for them.

The grant also funded training for business owners put on by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and hosted by Redlands police, Baker said. The grant funding runs until June 30, 2013, and it covers the costs of police overtime.

Deputies in Yucaipa and state agents used a decoy under the age of 21 to solicit people to buy alcohol last week and two men were arrested, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Redlands police and city officials are planning party patrols to crack down on anticipated underage drinking this week when thousands of teens graduate from Redlands High, Redlands East Valley High, and Citrus Valley High.

Baker urged anyone with info about crime or suspicious activity to call Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681. Anonymous tipsters can text 274637 using the keyword "REDTIP." Some non-emergency crimes can also be reported athttp://ci.redlands.ca.us/police/coplogic/start-report.html.