Just don’t even think about it.
That’s what Boulder Police Alcohol Enforcement Officer Carlene Hofmann has to say to those tempted to use a fake ID.
“Don’t use your fake ID because you’re in Boulder and you’re going to have it taken away from you,” Hofmann said. “Businesses have a lot to lose. They take a lot of initiative to stop using fake IDs.”
Boulder Police get 1,200 to 1,500 fake IDs turned in a year from all the businesses and while the spread throughout Boulder is fairly even, businesses that are frequented by college students tend to turn in more fake IDs, Hofmann said.
Students on campus, like 18-year-old freshman psychology major Emily Taylor, said they feel Boulder is strict on fake identifications.
“I’ve heard of a lot of people getting theirs taken away,” Taylor said. “I’ve always heard [Boulder] is pretty strict.”
Christopher Smith, a 28-year-old senior philosophy major, agreed.
“I think Boulder is a strict environment for fake IDs compared to prior places I’ve lived like California or Washington, D.C.,” Smith said.
Hofmann said the number of confiscated IDs has remained stable over the past few years. Hofmann said she feels students might be feeling a supposed crackdown due to her assignment as alcohol enforcement officer last November.
“It’s pretty consistent…now we have an officer dedicated to it,” Hofmann said. “This is what I’m asked to do, this is my number one priority…and I think that’s why people are under the conception of a crackdown. It’s been a pretty decent school year. Overall I’d say it was another average school year that went by.”
Like Hofmann, General Manager Anthony Merino of Half Fast Subs said the confiscation numbers have remained the same, turning in about 25 to 30 a month. Merino said he thinks students may have received the wrong impression after a business policy change.
“There hasn’t been necessarily crackdown; that idea probably stemmed from going 21 and up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday after 9 p.m. beginning last semester if not last summer,” Merino said.
The punishment for possessing a fake ID ranges from community service to jail time, Hofmann said, but Taylor said she feels it will do little to deter students.
“I think it’s pretty inevitable for people to get one if they party,” Taylor said. “I think the punishment is harsher than it should be; no one is trying to kill anyone.”
Zina Kamal, an 18-year-old freshman environmental studies major, expressed a similar opinion.
“I kind of want one,” Kamal said.
Contact CU Independent Staff News Writer Rose Heaphy at Josephine.heaphy@colorado.edu.
