With an escalating number of students found with fake IDs, the University is launching a campaign to warn them of the legal consequences.
The University Police Department has seen an increase in alcohol-related reports tied back to the use of fake IDs, UPD Chief Kevin Hay said, along with finding more fake IDs in wallets at the lost and found.
That spike prompted a joint effort by UPD and the Center for Alcohol and other Drug Education this fall to remind students that they could face disciplinary violations, police citations, fines or even arrest if caught with false identification.
“If your friends talk you into getting a fake ID, it could be more than just a college lark,” Hay said. “You could end up with something on your record that you don’t want to be there three years later.”
Sixteen students have been reported to GW’s disciplinary office so far this year for using false identification to buy alcohol or gain access into bars. Last academic year, a total of 84 students were referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for the use or possession of false IDs – down from 109 students during the 2010-2011 year, Gabriel Slifka, the office’s director, said.
“Many incidents” of fake ID use by students are handled by the Metropolitan Police Department, potentially skewing the University's statistics, because the department is not obligated to notify UPD, Hay said. Scenarios where UPD finds fake IDs in wallets at the lost and found are also not logged.
The campaign this fall will include information cards outlining University and city penalties of possessing fake IDs, as well as the potential health and legal risks of consuming alcohol, Hay said. Police will begin handing the cards out Sunday at the annual block party at the Eye Street Mall.
Students who are caught with fake IDs for the first time typically face disciplinary probation, Slifka said. But they could also be arrested or receive citations if MPD officers catch them.
D.C. law imposes a $300 fine and driving probation for fake IDs used for underage drinking.
The University is taking an “active role” in fighting fake ID use with D.C.’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration, Hay said. UPD routinely shares information on which bars, clubs and liquor stores are known for dodging underage drinking laws with MPD and ABRA, sometimes leading to sting operations.
In September, three students were arrested in Columbia Plaza after purchasing alcohol with fake IDs, according to MPD reports. Hay said UPD was not involved.
The fake ID education effort will target the entire student body, Hay said.
“Students should be educated on the potential outcomes of using a fake ID, so that they understand the consequences they may face should they be caught,” Alexis Janda, CADE’s associate director, said.
Question… if MPD will cite or arrest you for possession of a fake ID, why doesn’t UPD do the same? Same for all the recent articles on UPD finding drugs and calling MPD to make the arrest. What’s up with that? It seems we have a rather neutered police department on campus.
A standard MPDC patrol officer is not going to arrest you for having a fake ID. A focused mission officer dealing with fake ID’s and alcohol enforcement will, because he needs arrest stats.
Secondly, the University’s administrative sanctions are far more severe than anything DC Circuit Court is going to hand out to a college student without a criminal record. What they are listing in this article are MAXIMUM PENALTIES. There is not a judge on the bench at 500 Indiana Ave NW that is going to impose them on a GW student.
As far as UPD calling MPD to make the arrest… that isn’t happening. From what I have been told, UPD is making the arrests and MPD is simply transporting the prisoner for them. THE HATCHET is simply not reporting it correctly as often happens everytime a new group of journalists come on board.
Finding fake ID’s in wallets from victimes of crimes and then charging them with a crime. #onlyatgw
Because losing you wallet and having to go claim it from lost and found obviously makes you a victim of a crime.
And besides, whether victim or not, you still committed a crime by having one. Stop fooling yourself and trying to think you are being persecuted.
Pretty sure having one isn’t a crime, it’s what you do with that potentially is.
Nope. Simply possessing one is illegal.
i’d much rather pay a $300 fine than go through GW’s disciplinary system, which often includes a fine anyway
Access to fake IDs is widely prevalent for GWU students beginning with their arrival as new freshmen. There is a network among the area universities which makes them widely accessible for a fee. Underaged drinking is dangerous but underaged drinking, off campus, in an urban setting, with very high crime, is especially dangerous. Perhaps GWU should ramp us the residence hall advisor program so that the advisors are not just someone who lives in the same building but so that they are actively, personally engaged with their students and know a bit more about who is doing what. There should be mandatory attendance information sessions at the residence hall level on underaged drinking and the concerns from legal, safety, and health standpoints and consequences. There are too many potential dangers and for so many of these students, on their own for the first time and in a big city for the first time, they have to have the seriousness brought right to their faces. Perhaps the CADE program that offenders are required to watch should be presented to all as part of training before they ever offend.
I fail to see the harm a fake ID causes the community. Unless the student is involved in some kind of terrorism plot or engaging in fraudulent bank activity in which the ID plays an integral role, why not just confiscate the card and move on? It is a waste of UPD resources that could otherwise be better directed towards more serious crimes which do cause harm to the campus and community – such as vandalism, theft, and violent crime.
While it is clear there has been a spike in the number of people getting caught with fake IDs, I seriously doubt the number of people who are in possession of one has really changed. Ergo, this is not some new problem.