Just hours before Wednesday’s kickoff LiveNation concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul warned of the stepped-up presence of law enforcement.
Hochul told TWC News that the state is expanding its operation from last year.
“Last year we had over 750 arrests, 780 fake IDs were confiscated, and people have to know that if you sell or give alcohol to an underage individual, you will be prosecuted. If you are an underage individual consuming, there is consequences,” said Hochul.
But during Wednesday’s Mumford & Sons concert, several young people didn’t get the message. Joseph Morrissey is a spokesman for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
“We arrested 16 concertgoers and seized 15 fake identification documents as part of the operation at SPAC,” said Morrissey.
DMV coordinated its fake ID crackdown with the State Liquor Authority, New York State Park Police, and state and local police.
Investigators used advanced ID verification machines. Fraudulent documents were found from Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
Underage drinkers were not the only targets of law enforcement Wednesday. Park Police arrested four people for driving while intoxicated, two for illegal drug possession, one for forgery, and five for underage drinking.
Morrissey said the sweeps for fake IDs will continue at big summer concert venues all summer long.
“We’ll be at SPAC, we’ll be at CMAC in Canandaigua, we’re usually at Darien Lake, unannounced as always. And this year for the first time we’ll be at Jones Beach,” said Morrissey. “And these efforts not only go on at concert, they also go on at bars in cooperation with our partners with the State Liquor Authority.”
Law enforcement says the crackdowns help keep concertgoers safe.
People caught using fake IDs to purchase alcohol can have their license revoked from 90 days up to a year.
