State officials say ongoing efforts to crack down on fake identifications being used to illegally purchase alcohol in New York resulted in a record number of bogus ID seizures last year - and more than a third were confiscated at locations in Western New York.
"It goes without saying that New York State has absolutely zero tolerance for underage drinking, and last year's record number of fake ID seizures demonstrates once again that we are deadly serious about tackling this issue," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo said the state seized 892 of the fake documents as part of Operation Prevent in 2018, up from 814 the previous year, while 922 people were ticketed for using false identification or using another person's identification, up from 843 in 2017. In addition, the State Liquor Authority issued 1,087 penalties to licensed retailers for underage sales in 2018,
"We work very hard to send the message to young people to not drink until they are of the appropriate legal age," said Mark Schroeder, Acting DMV Commissioner and Acting Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. "We want to prevent tragedies. The public should be aware that our investigators are out checking for fake identifications and people risk arrest if they try to use one."
The year-round compliance efforts led by investigators from the Department of Motor Vehicles target concert venues, bars, restaurants and stores where alcohol is sold.
DMV investigators are now using a mobile computer at large venues to speed the processing of tickets and working closely with state and local law enforcement to identify areas where underage drinking is occurring and enforcement is needed.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
