Law Enforcement Guide to False Identification

• NCJ Number: 188074
• Author(s): David Myers; Mark Willingham; Kathryn Stewart
• Date Published: February 2001
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-AH-F8-0114
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This guide provides law enforcement officers with a basic understanding of false and fraudulent identification, as well as some of the tools necessary to recognize these forms of identification, with a view toward thwarting underage youths' use of false ID's to purchase alcoholic beverages.

Abstract

False identification can be created by altering an existing ID card to change the birth date or identity of the person to whom the ID was legitimately issued, or an ID card can be created from "scratch." Some typical manufacturing techniques include scanning a legitimate ID into a computer and replacing the photograph or birth date, and then printing and laminating it to resemble a true ID; copying an existing ID with a color copy machine and laminating the copy with new identity or birth date information onto card stock that resembles that used by the State; and counterfeiting an exact reproduction of a legitimate ID, sometimes using the same (often stolen) materials used by the State. Any of the aforementioned methods can create an ID that looks genuine to the casual observer. The nature of laws against the creation of false ID's, the ease of manufacture, and the fact that manufacturers are often located in States other than the ones for which the ID is produced make enforcement difficult. States have incorporated a variety of features to make alteration of existing ID's or the manufacture of false ID's more difficult or easier to detect. Some of these methods include obviously different design of ID's for underage people; incorporation of ghost images or holograms in the ID design, and the use of magnetic strips or bar codes. This guide offers suggestions to retailers for effectively checking ID's of youth who appear to be under age 21. These include examining the ID closely and obtaining and using an ID checking machine to detect false ID's. Also discussed in this guide are how States and communities can include a strategy of countering false ID's in a comprehensive approach to reducing the accessibility of alcohol to underage youth. 19 references