Jersey Shore police go undercover to target underage drinkers

From Asbury Park to Wildwood, about 30 police departments at the New Jersey Shore reportedly are out in force this summer to catch underage drinkers in the act of buying booze.

Federal grants from the "Cops in Shops" program are funding the effort, NJ 101.5 reports.

"Sometimes we're behind the counter. Sometimes we're just customers. Other times we can be doing surveillance in the parking lot,"  Brick Police Sgt. Neal Pedersen told the radio station.

In case you think having a legal-age adult make the buy is away around the law, police are also on the lookout for them, the story reports.

This is the 21st year for the program. Last year, police arrested 229 people in 27 Shore towns, NJ.com reported.

"You get a lot of these kids coming down with fake IDs, and some of them are really good," Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. told NJ 101.5.  "If you have establishments that sell alcohol and you're a Shore town, believe me — there's kids coming."

The list of participating municipalities spans the state's coastline.