Cops in Shops

Warning: Police Officers may be posing as store employees.

Stopping minors from trying to buy alcohol has long been a problem for concerned retailers. Cops in Shops® is a unique partnership between retailers and law enforcement that helps stop illegal underage alcohol purchases and prevent adults from purchasing for kids. The program is preceded by a public information campaign advising of the forthcoming effort to reduce underage purchase by placing undercover officers in participating retail locations looking for underage buyers. Warning signs are placed in the windows and cold case doors of the participating retailers.

Once the program is operational, teams of officers are placed in strategic participating retail outlets. They usually consist of one undercover officer who works inside the store while a second officer is positioned outside the establishment to apprehend adults that procure alcohol for youth. Cops in Shops® places the focus on the perpetrators — minors that try to purchase alcohol illegally and adults that try to purchase alcohol illegally for minors.