Students with fake identification cards may find Downtown bars aren't so lenient.
"Don't even try to come here with a fake ID," said Robert Pallares, general manager of Sauce and the Liquid Lounge. "We're pretty strict over here."
Pallares said there are two steps to check IDs. First, security looks at the ID card and then puts it under a camera. A videotape keeps the information for about a week before new material records over old footage.
He said the lounge uses the recordings to protect the establishment by being able to show the Albuquerque Police Department that the IDs presented appeared legal.
Pallares said the lounge used to offer $10 to the doorman for every fake caught, but it no longer does that. It is now at the doorman's discretion without a reward.
Maloney's Tavern also uses a video system in its security procedures. The first step is holding up the ID to a black light that exposes any modification made to an ID card. The light makes it more obvious if the lamination has been lifted or if dates have been scraped away or altered. After that, the video system films the ID card.
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"There is a lot of liability on our part," said Dave Buehring, Maloney's general manager. "It's to protect ourselves and protect the public."
Buehring said the videotape can be submitted as evidence in a court of law.
He said since Maloney's opened about a year ago, its staff has caught 1,200 fake IDs. He said most fake IDs are caught after students return from big school breaks, but it can vary. He also said mainly college students attempt to use fake IDs.
Mike Webb, security manager at OPM, said the majority of fake IDs caught there are New Mexico IDs that belong to someone else, adding that mostly women try to use fakes at the nightclub.
Webb said the staff employs a visual check at the door to examine facial features and verify information on the ID, asking questions and paying close attention to the person's demeanor.
"Dates are the biggest giveaway," Webb said.
He also said other clues can be giveaways to a fake like the font and lamination.
"Fake IDs have thicker lamination than real IDs," Webb said.
The nightclub also has a scanning machine used on vertical IDs, which Webb said are the ones usually altered.
Any fake ID can be taken away and given to the APD's Special Investigation Division. Webb said if the division is present when the fake ID is used, a citation can be given to the violator.
"Depending on the fake, it can be a fourth-degree felony," Webb said.
There are companies on the Internet that sell fake ID cards resembling a driver's license. OPM will receive a book within the next week with examples of various state licenses to try and combat this problem, Webb said.
