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Sgt. Paul Scott and Officer Thomas Check were on a “Cops in Shops” detail when they saw David Weis, 20, buying beer with a bogus Pennsylvania driver’s license, Fair Lawn Sgt. Richard E. Schultz told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
A short time later, they stopped 19-year-old Aaron D. Weisberg as he drove way from a Maple Avenue liquor store after buying beer there, he said.
Now 15 years old, the “Cops in Shops” program provides grants to pay for undercover police to pose as store employees or passersby in an effort to catch anyone under the legal state drinking age of 21 buying alcohol – or, more often, adults purchasing it for them.
As with all law enforcement campaigns, there’s a catch phrase: “If you’re too young to buy, don’t even try.”
New Jersey has had well over 10,000 people picked up as part of the effort. Some have been caught by Fair Lawn police – the only law enforcement agency in Bergen County that’s been awarded “Cops in Shops” funding. Most of the others are down the Shore, or have colleges or universities in town or nearby.
Jersey City is one of three Hudson County municipalities participating in the program. Passaic County doesn’t have any.
At a time when every dollar must count, authorities say “Cops in Shops” makes a difference: Nearly 10 percent of DWI arrests in New Jersey are of drivers under 21.
The program was designed by the Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers. New Jersey’s campaign is considered one of the nation’s best.
As for Weis and Weisberg: They were processed and released without bail pending Municipal Court appearances on charges stemming from buying alcohol while underage, Schultz said.
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