Advancements in technology give rise to fake IDs

Have you ever looked around the bar and said to yourself, “Wow, that kid looks like he’s 14.” Well, he might have been.

During the first half of 2011, the Oxford Police Department charged approximately 50 individuals with possession of false identification; however, this number represents only a small portion of the fake IDs that were seized in Oxford this year.

“The number of 50 can be a little misleading sometimes,” OPD chief Mike Martin said. “A lot of times when an officer catches you in possession of alcohol, and you have a false ID, they’ll only charge you with the minor in possession and just seize your ID.”

This number is also misleading because it doesn’t include the IDs seized and turned over to police by private security working at bars and events. Martin said this brings the total number collected and destroyed each year well into the hundreds.

John Darby, who worked as a bouncer for the last year at Funky’s and now is at Rooster’s Blues House, said that in addition to the ones that are confiscated, many fake IDs recognized by doormen are not collected.

“There are some bars that will take the ID, and then there are other bars that just turn you down,” Darby said. “There’s not really a set protocol as far as being required to take the ID or anything.”

While fake IDs are not new, advancements in home computer technology in the last 20 years have changed the landscape of fake ID production. Large-scale print operations with high-quality printing presses are no longer necessary to produce fake IDs.

“Nowadays, with the computer software and the quality of printers that you have available, it’s made it a whole lot easier for people to manufacture false IDs,” Martin said. “And some of them are really good. You have to look twice at them. Sometimes three times.”

The common sight of high-quality personal printers in college towns has made the production of fake IDs much easier; however, it is another type of false identification that is much more prevalent in Oxford.

“What we see the most is people that have other people’s IDs,” Darby said. “You get someone who will go to the DMV and say, ‘I lost my ID,’ and their friend will give them the money to pay to get a new one.”

Underage individuals using another person’s ID present unique challenges for law enforcement. Unlike an altered form of identification, which is illegal to possess, possessing someone else’s driver’s license is not illegal until you try to present it as your own.

One Ole Miss junior, who requested to remain anonymous because of the legal implications surrounding this issue, said she uses her older cousin’s ID. The student said she uses it for access more than she uses it to drink underage.

“All my friends are already turning 21, so I’d like to get into the bars they can get into,” she said. “It’s not so much drinking. It’s just to get into where my friends go on the weekends.”

While the penalty for possession of a fake ID is stiff, it can also create legal problems for bars, and its employees can be charged with serving alcohol to minors. Darby said this is why so few bars on the Square choose the 18-and-up admission policy.

“It’s always harder to enforce that everyone drinking is 21 when you have an 18-and-up bar,” he said. “If it’s 21-and-up, you cut down on a lot of that.”

Martin said the front lines of the fight against fake IDs are at the doors of bars. OPD offers classes to help train bouncers and business owners on how to spot fake IDs. He also emphasized the importance of bar employees not relying on patrons having been in the bar before or having a wristband to signify they are 21.

“As a waitress or bartender, you cannot just rely upon the bouncer to do their job,” Darby said. “I don’t care who’s on that door; if I was the bartender or the waitress, I would check your ID.”

The University Police Department also makes a handful of arrests each year for fake IDs. Captain Michael Harmon said they come across them during searches and arrests, especially during the fall.

“As a rule, we don’t generally look for it,” Harmon said. “But we find more in the fall because of football, parties and Rush.”