Thursday, July 9, 2015

Targeted Underage Drinking and Fake ID Enforcement Nabs 21 at Kenny Chesney Concert


Department of Motor Vehicles Seizes 22 Counterfeit
Driver Licenses from Underage Concertgoers

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Deputy Commissioner Thomas Higgins today announced that DMV’s underage drinking enforcement action at the Kenny Chesney concert on Wednesday, July 8, at CMAC in Canandaigua resulted in the arrest of 21 concertgoers and the seizure of 22 counterfeit licenses.

DMV’s Division of Field Investigation (DFI) and the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office conducted the action, which supports the efforts of the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) to deter minors from abusing alcohol and driving while impaired.  

The legal drinking age in New York State is 21. 

“Drinking and driving is a deadly combination, particularly for young and inexperienced motorists, so DMV will continue to conduct these enforcement actions to deter underage drinking and keep drunk drivers off the road,” said Deputy Commissioner Higgins. “I commend DMV’s investigators and our law enforcement partners for their dedication to protecting the lives of our young people and making our highways safe for everyone.”

“These ID checks are an effective way to deter alcohol consumption by underage concertgoers,” said Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero. “This was a big concert for us, a sold out crowd of 15,000 plus, and we appreciate DMV’s help in this effort. The enforcement action made a real difference.”

On Wednesday night, DMV investigators who are familiar with documents both in-state and out-of-state were stationed at the ID checkpoint set-up by CMAC to confirm the age of all patrons wishing to buy alcohol at the event.  Using their training, investigators authenticated identification documents and identified fake ID’s at this event.

Among the 22 counterfeit licenses confiscated Wednesday, six were from Pennsylvania, six from New Jersey, five from Connecticut, two from Ohio and one each from Maryland, Florida and South Carolina.

All those arrested were charged with a criminal violation of Section 509.6 of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law and are subject to administrative action that normally results in a revocation of their license privilege for a minimum of 90 days and up to one year.

The majority of counterfeit licenses recovered by DMV’s Division of Field Investigation are purchased over the internet from foreign companies. DMV, in cooperation with federal and state law enforcement agencies, seeks to crack down on these counterfeiters by identifying the source and working to shut down their operations and has been doing so for more than a decade.

Source: Department of Motor Vehicles

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