Checking Age Identification

What are age identification policies and how do they work?

Age identification policies are written guidelines at stores, bars and restaurants that provide employees instructions on checking age identification of customers attempting to buy alcohol. These guidelines may reduce illegal sales of alcohol to underage youth by:

• Encouraging employees to refuse to sell alcohol to any customer who does not have a valid ID showing he/she is 21 or old
• Increasing employees' detection of fake IDs

The ID-checking policy of an alcohol establishment may include the following guidelines: (1)

• Follow the same procedure when checking each ID; don't be distracted by conversation with the customer
  
• Check the ID of anyone who looks under the age of 30
  
• Check the birth date to see that the person is over 21. Check to see if the birth date has been altered
  
• Check the ID photo and the recorded height for resemblance with the attempted buyer. Compare the hairline, eyebrows and chin shape on the photo-these are the most difficult features to change
  
• Check the expiration date. If it is expired, it is not a valid ID
  
• Check the date the ID was issued. The issue date is usually in 4-year increments from the age of 16
  
• Check the IDs of all people at the counter or table if they all look of questionable age. For example, if a 21-year-old buys a pitcher of beer, check the ID of everyone at the table who appears younger than age 30
  
• If a customer is using a license from another state, compare the license to a representative license from that state. You can usually obtain a copy of "United States Driver's Licenses" from your state's liquor control board
  
• Always hold the ID in your hand and feel for any unusual raised surfaces
  
• Look at the ID under a bright light for glue lines or pin-holes where bleach may have been injected. See if the format of the card looks correct
  
• Check the size, thickness and edges of the ID; ragged edges may indicate tampering
  
• If the word "duplicate" is stamped on the license, someone else may have the original. Ask for another form of identification
  
• Check the back of the ID. On some state licenses, if the numbers have been changed on the front, the true numbers will be shown on the back
  
• If you are unsure, ask for another form of identification or for personal information, such as an address, birth date, age, middle initial, or zodiac sign. If the customer doesn't provide another ID, politely refuse to sell the alcohol
  

Why age identification policies are important for your community

Selling alcohol to people under the age of 21 is illegal. Yet underage youth can easily purchase alcohol with either no age identification or with poor quality fake IDs.

• In a study conducted in 28 northern Minnesota communities, youthful-looking buyers were able to purchase beer without age identification in 47% of 336 purchase attempts. (2)
  
• A study conducted in several New York counties and Washington, D.C. reported that underage buyers were able to purchase alcohol without age identification in 44% to 95% of the purchase attempts. (3)
  

Although studies show that less than 15% of youth use fake IDs, there are several sources of fake IDs, including: (4, 5)

• Alteration of one's own ID
  
• Use of someone else's ID, either stolen or borrowed
  
• Applying for another person's ID using that person's birth certificate
  
• Creating one's own fake ID
  
• Purchasing an ID from professional counterfeiters

Servers, clerks, and managers of alcohol establishments face the risk of criminal and civil liability if they serve or sell alcohol to an underage person. Checking IDs decreases the potential liability a server or seller could face for selling alcohol to an underage person. An ID-checking policy also reduces the potential liability of the owners of establishments, who could be sued for illegal alcohol sales that result in an injury to a third party.

ISSUE: Merchants may say that they already have an ID-checking policy and that the reason underage youth are able to illegally buy alcohol is because they use fake IDs.

RESPONSE: Studies show that only a small percentage of youth use fake IDs; however, policies and training should include guidelines on detecting fake IDs (see above). (4, 5)

RESPONSE: Concerned community members can contact alcohol establishments to inquire about their written alcohol-related policies. If the establishment doesn't have ID-checking policies, the community should encourage the owners/mangers to adopt appropriate ones (see above). In addition, compliance checks and administrative penalties can be put in place to increase the pressure on merchants to use ID-checking procedures (see compliance checks and administrative penalties policies).

Community support: If police and parents do not think youth drinking is a problem, merchants will be less likely to uphold strict rules concerning alcohol sales to minors. Merchants need support from the community and local law enforcement for ID-checking policies to be successful.

Difficulty of judging age: Merchants may claim that it is difficult to tell when a person is underage because some underage youth can look very mature. Every business that sells or serves alcohol should have a written policy stating that all employees should check the age identification of anyone who appears younger than 30 years old.

Technology: Electronic ID scanners are also available and can be mandated by law or voluntarily used by an establishment or chain of establishments. Scanners may help employees determine if someone is of age; however, employees still need to check the ID to make sure it matches the person presenting the ID.

Other policies needed: The presence of an ID-checking policy alone is unlikely to reduce illegal sales to underage youth. In addition to an ID-checking policy, other establishment policies are needed:

• Each manager and alcohol server or seller should receive training on how to check IDs and identify fake IDs. This training can be included in responsible beverage service training programs (see responsible beverage service training policy)
  
• Establishments should post signs stating that proper identification is required to purchase alcohol. This reminds employees and clearly informs patrons of the establishment's ID-checking policy.
  
• Communities may work with a group of alcohol establishments to help create establishment compliance checks. Owners and managers can help each other learn to check IDs by having youthful-looking undercover patrons attempt to buy alcohol with no ID or with fake ID (see compliance checks policy).
  
• Policies should also include instructions on what an employee should do if he/she identifies a fake ID. Guidelines may include:
  
  • Be polite yet firm in refusing the sale to the customer
    
  • Call a manager
    
  • Confiscate the fake ID when appropriate
    
  • Contact local law enforcement when appropriate
    
• Establishments may also want to reward employees who confiscate a fake ID, such as giving a small monetary reward of $5-$15 for each ID confiscated.
  

Age identification policies should be part of a larger group of policies aimed at decreasing underage youth's access to alcohol. Communities can also conduct regular compliance checks and impose fines or other penalties against establishments that fail to comply with age-of-sale laws (see compliance checks and administrative penalties policies). Policies that reduce non-commercial (social) sources of alcohol, such as getting alcohol from family members or friends, are also needed (see social host liability policy).

In response to the explosion in the creation and distribution of fake IDs in Newport, Rhode Island, police, along with cooperation from bar owners, developed an innovative program designed to get fake IDs out of circulation called "Identification Seizure." When an establishment employee suspects an ID might be a fake, he or she 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, and by 2002 more than 800 fake IDs were confiscated. For more information, contact Officer Kevin Parsonage, Newport Police Department, at 401-847-0686.

References:

1. Tips to Help Spot Fraudulent IDs. Division of Police, Lexington, KY. Accessed online 8/9/02 at: www.lexingtonpolice.lfucg.com/Invest/Idfraud.asp
   
2. Forster JL, McGovern PG, Wagenaar AC, Wolfson M, Perry CL, Anstine PS. The ability of young people to purchase alcohol without age identification in northeastern Minnesota, USA. Addiction , 89:699-705, 1994.
   
3. Preusser DF, Williams AF. Sales of alcohol to underage purchasers in three New York counties and Washington, D.C. Journal of Public Health Policy , 13: 306-317, 1992.
   
4. Schwartz RH, Farrow JA, Banks B, Giesel AE. Use of false ID cards and other deceptive methods to purchase alcoholic beverages during high school. Journal of the Addictive Diseases ,17(3):25-33, 1998.
   
5. Wagenaar AC, Toomey TL, Murray DM, Short BJ, Wolfson M, Jones-Webb R. Sources of alcohol for underage drinkers. Journal of Studies on Alcohol , 57(3):325-333, 1996.
   

Back to:

Commercial Access to Alcohol