The Grand Junction Police Department is cracking down on underage drinking and the use of fake identification. According to GJPD Public Information Coordinator Kate Porras, officers issued 37 citations to underage drinkers outside venues hosting “College Nights” within the first week of October. Events for people 18 and older during the school year draw a large number of underage drinkers, most of whom drink in the parking lots outside establishments before entering.
Student Rita Schenkelberg, 20, said fake IDs are not difficult to come by. Several of Schenkelberg’s acquaintances have fake IDs they’ve used to purchase alcohol illegally.
“You just need to go through the right people,” Schenkelberg said. “There are people who print them and who have the equipment to print them. They put the holographic stamp on and everything. I was offered a three-pack for $60. They’re cheaper in bulk. I didn’t go for it. I knew better.”
According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, if the owner or an employee of a liquor-licensed establishment in Colorado suspects an ID is fake, they are allowed to confiscate the ID and turn it over to a law enforcement agency within 72 hours. They are also allowed to detain and question anyone with an ID they believe to be fraudulent. Manufacturing counterfeit documents constitutes fraud, and is punishable by fines, felony and misdemeanor charges, on top of any municipal charges.
Fake IDs are popular among underage drinkers, but since the price of using one is so high, they’re not always a necessity.
“I’ve watched how they ID at restaurants,” Schenkelberg said. “You could hand them your valid underage driver’s license and get a drink. Sometimes, if you know the owners of bars and they don’t know you’re not 21, they just let you come in. It’s who you know. It really doesn’t have much to do with paperwork most of the time.”
Last January, police and the Mesa County Sheriff’s office conducted compliance checks throughout the city. Fifteen bars and liquor stores sold alcohol to underage people who did not have any form of identification, real or fake.
The Mesa County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force was formed in 2002 after 60 underage drinkers were transported to the emergency room during the 2001 County Jam Music Festival and only three underage drinking citations were issued. Since its inception, the Task Force has been highly effective in its efforts to reduce underage drinking. In 2009, MADD Colorado presented it with an “Outstanding Team Dedication to MIP/MIC Enforcement” award.
The Task Force’s primary focus is not only targeting minors who possess or consume alcohol, but also adults who provide alcohol to youth. Establishments like Infinity Nightclub, where some of this month’s crackdowns took place, were not cited because they weren’t providing the alcohol to underage drinkers.
According to Porras, part of October’s crackdown was paid for by a Mesa County Sheriff’s grant intended to help enforce underage drinking laws. The GJPD received the same grant for 2012 and will begin using the money to continue enforcement next month.

ssummar@mavs.coloradomesa.edu