Concert Crackdown: State Going After Fake IDs At Summer Shows

If you're going to be attending a show at Jones Beach this summer, you better make sure you act your age. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that the state is going to be cracking down on fake IDs and underage drinking at summer concerts across the state, including at the Jones Beach Amphitheater.

Called Operation Prevent, investigators will conduct sweeps at venues this summer, including Jones Beach, as well as other events where underage concertgoers are likely to gather. The DMV's Division of Field Investigation perform the investigations in partnership with the State Liquor Authority (SLA), New York State Park Police, New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies.

"From Buffalo's Canalside and Darien Lake, to SPAC and Jones Beach, New York offers some of the nation's greatest summer concert venues, and with the launch of this program, we will crack down on underage drinking at these concerts to help prevent bad decisions and stop avoidable tragedies," Cuomo said. "Make no mistake, using a fake ID is illegal and the consequences that come with it just aren't worth it."

State investigators have already collected nearly 70 fake IDs from concerts upstate earlier this month. They came from New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida.

Underage drinking at Jones Beach concerts is not a new phenomenon. In 2015, more than 40 kids were sent home from a concert for underage drinking, and another 14 were hospitalized. And 10 kids were hospitilized for drug overdoses and alcohol poisoning at a Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa concert last year.

The state confiscated more than 70 fake IDs at Jones Beach concerts last year and arrested 62 people.

During the concert season, DMV investigators work with the SLA and law enforcement entities to check identification documents. Patrons under the age of 21 found to be using fake IDs or false documents to purchase alcoholic beverages can be arrested and risk having their license revoked for a 90 days to one year. Investigators from DMV, the SLA, and other entities use portable document verification machines to conduct forensic examinations of suspect documents using white light, UV light and infrared light sources.

"Underage drinking and the abuse of alcohol by minors will not be tolerated," said New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II. "Safety is our top priority and we will be diligent in working with our partners to discourage, detect and apprehend underage users and to prevent the senseless injuries and tragedies that can result from this illegal behavior."

Photo: Patch