Numbers from five youth decoy operations since officials passed the law have continued to slide, a fact police and city officials attribute to an education component followed by strict enforcement of violators.
In the first round of stings in a 2 1/2 -year period, 23% of stores sold or offered to sell tobacco to underage teens. That number dropped to 17%, then 14%, then 4% each for the two most recent decoy operations, said Terre Hirsch, assistant community development director and administrator of license and code services.
“It’s a very dramatic drop, and we’re proud of that, but there’s a number of reasons for that,” Hirsch said. “Now the businesses know it’s being done, education has increased, and the City Council has supported the enforcement action with a fair way of dealing with the consequences.”
Up to 55 retailers were contacted in each sting.
Under tobacco retailer license laws, each of the city’s 125 to 135 merchants that sell tobacco products must obtain a $300 license that can be revoked for underage selling.
Organized by the vice narcotics unit, officers twice a year visit a series of tobacco retailers with a decoy between the ages of 15 and 17. Clerks caught selling tobacco products to minors are cited and prosecuted, Burbank Police Lt. Armen Dermenjian said.
If the clerk is found guilty, or pleads no contest, the business where the violation occurred is sent a notice of suspension along with the right to appeal, he said.
First-time offenders typically have their license revoked for two weeks, with about half of the 20 offenders electing to take their cases to the permit appeals board. Final appeals have been made to the City Council, which in every case has sustained the board’s decision.
“The message that has been sent is, ‘Don’t sell tobacco products to children,’” Hirsch said.
