Underage Drinking: Success Stories

With support from the OJJDP Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Initiative, community organizations, enforcement agencies, youth, and other concerned citizens are working collaboratively to change local ordinances and enforcement practices.

Police in Newport, Rhode Island, have developed an innovative program designed to get fake IDs out of circulation.  Called “Identification Seizure,” the program has taken more than 800 fake IDs off the street.

  Newport is a seaside town of some 24,000 year-round residents. In summer, this balloons to more than 60,000 as tourists and students flock to local beaches. Newport is popular with college students, due to its laid-back lifestyle and reputation for alcohol availability. This popularity has fostered a problem with underage drinking in the town. In discussing the problem with Newport police, bar owners noted an increase in minors using fake IDs to procure alcohol. Recent technological advances—such as the Internet and cheap color printers—have caused an explosion in the creation and distribution of fake identification. Although bar owners have prevented the use of fake IDs in their own establishments somewhat, they could not confiscate the IDs and did not engage the police.

  Identification Seizure, the brainchild of Officer Kevin Parsonage and others, sought to remedy this by encouraging bar owners to cooperate with police. When an establishment employee suspects an ID might be a fake, he asks that person to wait until a police officer arrives to investigate. Usually, the patron will abandon the fake ID and flee. If the customer does wait for the officer and the ID is subsequently found to be false, the officer issues a citation of up to $500 dollars. The program was first implemented in summer of 2001; in three months, more than 400 fake IDs were collected from only five bars. To date, the program has netted more than 800 fake IDs from underage patrons.

  According to Officer Parsonage, the first challenge in implementing the program was convincing bar owners to call police officers to their establishments, an action generally considered ‘bad for business’. Unfortunately, bar owners did not feel comfortable asking for help from local police, and believed that having an increased number of calls-for-service would hurt them when it came time to renew their liquor licenses. Officer Parsonage worked with the owners to alleviate their concerns and secure their participation.

  Once convinced that it was actually good for business—that a proactive attitude will reduce emergency calls—the bars joined the program with enthusiasm. With support from Chief Charles Golden, Identification Seizure has expanded from five to nearly fifteen bars, with others clamoring to join. Officer Parsonage has invited all local establishments—about 130 in total—to a workshop on the program this March.

Public awareness is also an important part of the Identification Seizure program, and Officer Parsonage describes the media response as “sur-prising.” With just a few phone calls, the program has generated sustained interest, and local newspapers and television stations have done repeated stories on the extent and success of the program.

For more information, contact Officer Kevin Parsonage, Newport Police Department, at 401-847-0686.