Editor’s note: Mark Williams’ name was changed to protect his identity.
Athens and Ohio University are well known for bars, parties and heavy drinking, but the fake IDs that help underage drinkers participate are more hidden.
Bouncers and bartenders play a key role in aiding law enforcement in combating the use of fake IDs and citations for having the false identification are on the rise.
Mark Williams, an 18-year-old student at OU who lives near Cincinnati, said he is successful in buying from many of the stores and bars in Athens, as well as some liquor stores in his hometown and throughout the Athens area.
“(My fake ID) works at liquor stores, scans into the computer … I don’t usually get declined — it works,” he said.
Williams, like others, received his high-quality ID from a China-based website that is now closed for $120.
In March 2011, seven Ohio University students received suspended jail time after Cincinnati customs officials intercepted a package containing 20 high-quality fake drivers’ licenses from Hong Kong.
Danielle Schneider, a fifth-year senior studying psychology and a bartender at Red Brick Tavern, 14 N. Court St., said it is in a bartender’s interest to check for fake IDs, because if a bartender gets caught providing alcohol to a minor, he or she could face a fine or jail time.
Schneider, who has been a bartender for about six months, said it is very easy to tell a fake ID from a real one.
“If we feel they are not as thick as normal IDs (or) there is no hologram, we use second form of ID,” Schneider said. “You can definitely prevent having fake IDs in a bar.”
Schneider said fewer than half the people who try to get into Red Brick present a door person with some form of fake ID, and typically one person per night presents her with a fake ID.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said alcohol providers such as bartenders are responsible for turning away fake IDs. The best way to tell a fake ID apart from a real one is having experience in detecting IDs, he added.
“Bar owners and bouncers are pretty savvy about detecting fake IDs,” Pyle said.
FAKE ID CAPITAL?
Athens has seen a rise in the number of citations for possession and use of fake IDs, according to numbers from both Athens Police Department and the Ohio Investigative Unit.
In 2011, citations issued in Athens County made up just fewer than 50 percent of citations statewide, according to data from the agency.
Thus far this year, about 60 percent of citations issued by the agency in Ohio have been in Athens County.
OU’s fests and other Athens events, such as Halloween, are the biggest reasons the county has higher rates of citations than other areas, said Julie Hinds, spokeswoman for the Ohio Investigative Unit.
“There is no other place in the state of Ohio that attracts as many festivals as Athens,” Hinds said. “You have 10Fest, Palmerfest, Millfest, Oakfest — I know I’m even leaving some out. That attracts a large number of underage adults who may or may not be drinking.
“Cincinnati has some (festivals), Akron, (and) Kent (have) some, but it doesn’t attract the crowd like OU does.”
Despite an increase in citations, Athens Police Chief Pyle and Hinds said there has been no change in policy in their respective departments.
Hinds said the biggest reason for the increase in citations for fake IDs is because of a heightened awareness among law enforcement regarding the sites that provide fake IDs.
MYTHS AND CONSEQUENCES
There are a variety of myths and rumors that circle about the potential consequences of carrying and using a fake ID, most of which are incorrect.
One such myth is that there is a different penalty for possessing a fake ID with a correct name and just a false birthday, as opposed to one that has both a fake name and birthday.
Hinds said no such legal distinction exists. Both types of IDs are considered falsification of ID and are a first-degree misdemeanor, which is the same degree as underage consumption.
If 21-year-olds give their licenses to underage people and get caught, the distributors could lose their licenses for a year. Furnishing an ID to someone or making fake IDs is a fifth-degree felony, which could carry a sentence of up to a year in jail with a fine of $2,500, Hinds said.
Some sites advertise IDs as “novelty IDs.” However, law enforcement does not make any such distinction. One does not have to be using a fake ID to be cited; just carrying one can get someone in trouble.
“A lot of people don’t understand,” Hinds said. “Later in life, this could come back to bite them.”
ld311710@ohiou.edu
