N.Y. DMV Seizes 18 Fake IDs, Arrests 21 at Saratoga Springs Concert

June 1, 2015

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced that the DMV’s underage drinking enforcement action at a concert on May 31 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), in Saratoga Springs, New York, resulted in the arrest of 21 concertgoers and the seizure of 18 counterfeit driver licenses.

This action was conducted by the DMV’s Division of Field Investigation in cooperation with New York State Park Police and is supported by the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) in order to deter minors from abusing alcohol and driving while impaired. The legal drinking age in New York State is 21.

“The DMV is committed to deterring underage drinking and keeping our roads safe from drunk drivers and these enforcement actions will protect the lives of our young people and increase traffic safety for every New Yorker,” said New York DMV Deputy Commissioner Thomas Higgins.

The DMV said that at SPAC’s Lady Antebellum concert on the night of May 31, seven DMV investigators were stationed at the ID checkpoint set-up by SPAC to confirm the age of all patrons wishing to buy alcohol at the event. Using their training, investigators authenticated identification documents and identified fake ID’s at this event.

Overall, DMV investigators identified 17 individuals using counterfeit licenses and four individuals using someone else’s license. Among the 18 counterfeit licenses confiscated, six were from Connecticut, three from Rhode Island, two from Maryland, two from Ohio, and one each from Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Mississippi and Maine. Four individuals were arrested for use of another person’s legal driver license, while one individual possessed two fake driver licenses from two different states.

All those arrested were criminally charged with a criminal violation of 509.6 of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law and will be subject to administrative action which normally results in a revocation of their license privilege for a minimum of 90 days and up to one year.

Uniformed and plainclothes State Park Police officers also patrolled parking lots, picnic areas and other park grounds outside of SPAC to thwart the use of alcohol in the park in violation of park regulations.

“Law enforcement will continue its zero tolerance policy for underage drinking in our state parks,” State Park Police Chief David Herrick said. “We are grateful for the assistance of DMV to help keep concert-goers safe and reduce the number of intoxicated drivers on the roadways.”

The majority of counterfeit licenses recovered by DMV’s Division of Field Investigation are purchased over the internet from foreign companies. DMV said it works with federal and state law enforcement agencies to crack down on these counterfeiters by identifying the source and working to shut down their operations and has been doing so for more than a decade. More than 2,600 people have been arrested since 2009.

Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

Topics New York Law Enforcement

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