MD: Fake IDs and college students: Worcester alcohol businesses tackle underage drinking
A Worcester police officer said the problem will continue to exist long after he’s left the force.

Telegram & Gazette
By Henry Schwan
October 29, 2021

WORCESTER – As a 35-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department, Sgt. Thomas Needham has seen it all. 

Especially when it comes to those under the legal drinking age of 21 who use fake identification to buy alcohol. 

“It’s as old of a problem as I am, and it’s going to be a problem long after I’m gone,” Needham said. 

Needham couldn’t say if fake IDs have become a huge issue in Worcester. But he did say they can contribute to addiction, drunk driving and incidents of assaults on college campuses. 

In 2018, there were 34 underage-related arrests or complaints reported by the Worcester Police Department’s Alcohol Enforcement Unit. That compares to seven in 2019 and two in 2020. 

Last year’s low number is likely tied to the coronavirus pandemic, when many college students were stuck off campus, Needham said.

Worcester businesses that received violations from the Worcester License Commission related to the sale of alcohol to underage patrons number 20 so far this year, Needham said. That compares to 16 in 2020, four in 2019 and 12 in 2018. 

The problem of fake identification was discussed at a recent License Commission meeting, when two package stores were cited for selling booze to minors. 

One was Big Bob’s Wine & Spirits at 501 Southbridge St. The infraction occurred last month. 

“As a business owner, it’s our responsibility. We’re trying to be more careful,” said Big Bob’s co-owner Jaypal Patel.

He explained an electronic scanner to catch fake IDs wasn’t working. A store clerk checked the ID but didn’t notice it was a fake. 

Big Bob’s was cited a second time – one night after the first infraction – when Worcester police joined forces with the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to conduct another sting, Needham said.

Again, alcohol was sold to underage customers. Patel said the IDs were checked, but the same issue of a malfunctioning scanner was to blame.

Patel, who has owned Big Bob’s with his wife for two years, has a new scanner that is working. Also, a sign will be placed on the front door that states only customers 21 and over can enter, he said. And, staff will continue the policy of checking all IDs for customers who look 40 years of age and younger, he added.

Austin Liquors at 117 Gold Star Blvd. also sold alcohol to minors. The commission slapped the business with a two-day suspension of its liquor license because it’s a repeat offender, with violations occurring in December and July. 

Who is using fake IDs? 

College students are a prime source. 

Needham isn’t surprised because like any college town, Worcester – with its total of eight colleges and universities – has students under 21 who want to drink. 

In the case of Bob’s, Needham told the commission that young men came out of the store with a bottle in a brown bag. When police subsequently pulled the car over, the driver showed a fake ID and said his passengers were college buddies. The driver was 19, not the 21 listed on his fake ID. 

The brown bag contained a liter of vodka. 

Moments before the commission voted to suspend the store’s liquor license for one day – to be enforced if there is a future violation – commission member Barbara Haller said the store is a known target for students at the College of the Holy Cross. 

“For me this is a huge wake-up call I hope you’re receiving,” Haller said. “The word that I get, this is known as a place where underage can purchase alcohol, particularly associated with the College of the Holy Cross.”

At Austin Liquors, an SUV dropped off two men who bought two 18-packs of beer and other alcoholic beverages, police said. Both men used fake IDs, police said. 

The lawyer representing Austin Liquors told the commission that Worcester college students and fake IDs are linked. 

“(Austin Liquors) fully understand that Worcester is a large college community. That there is a huge prevalence of fake IDs, and they’re doing all that they can to combat that,” Austin Liquors’ lawyer, Matthew Porter, told the commission. 

Good help is hard to find 

Austin Liquors has an electronic scanner to safeguard against fake IDs. But in the case of last month’s infraction that resulted in the two-day license suspension, an employee visually inspected the ID but didn’t run it through the store’s scanner. 

When reached at Austin Liquors, store manager Andy Novakoski declined to comment. 

He did tell the commission he is “angry” and “at my wits’ end” when it comes to staff who are trained to check for fake IDs but don’t use the scanner. 

Novakoski also expressed frustration that it’s hard to keep staff for a consistent period of time because many are college students and there is significant turnover. 

Do scanners prevent fraud? 

They don’t, said Bill Bourbeau, general manager and executive chef at The Boynton Restaurant and Spirits on Highland Street. 

The reason is anyone can use Google to order a sophisticated fake ID that can bypass a scanner’s technology. 

“A scanner doesn’t help you now because anyone can print IDs so they pass a scanner,” Bourbeau said. “They’ve been doing it for years.” 

To combat the improved fakes, Bourbeau said his staff is trained to look for markers that show a sketchy ID. 

If there is any doubt about an ID’s legitimacy, Bourbeau has a simple rule – don’t accept it. 

There is no scanner at Antonio’s Pizza by the Slice Kitchen and Bar on Chandler Street.

The device can slow down a restaurant’s operation, said General Manager Miguel Paredes, especially when it gets crowded and a large party is ordering alcohol and each customer’s ID must run through a scanner. 

“Our employees are trained to spot fake IDs,” Paredes said. “(Fake IDs) can be a challenge if you don’t have policies in place from the beginning.” 

Antonio’s policy is any customer who appears to be under 40 is asked to show identification when ordering alcohol. 

Those with an out-of-state license must show a second form of identification that includes the customer’s photo. 

Delivery drivers are trained to spot a fake, and if a customer can’t provide an ID at their home or apartment, the driver doesn’t hand over the alcohol. 

A warning is given to any server or bartender at Antonio’s on a first infraction for failing to ask for identification. They must also retake the restaurant’s training course. 

Ideas to stop the fakes 

Three steps are needed to keep the problem in-check, Needham said – investigation, surveillance of businesses and resources. 

Regarding the latter, Needham said the four-person Alcohol Enforcement Unit has the manpower to do the job. Besides Needham, the unit includes a lieutenant and two patrol officers. 

“We are equipped to deal with the problem,” Needham said. 

Some local colleges partner with police to combat underage drinking. The College of the Holy Cross hires Worcester police officers to help patrol the campus and off-campus student housing, Needham said.

WPI also worked with police in the past to curb drinking by minors, according to Needham. 

Patel would like to see something in place that sends a message to teenagers and college students under 21 that’s it’s wrong to use a fake ID. He accepts that any business that sells alcohol to a minor must face the consequences, but Patel would like those coming into stores with the IDs to also face the music.

“Something to teach them a lesson that this is not a right thing,” Patel said. “A law to make them understand that it’s not the right way to buy alcohol. That they should follow the law.”

Some underage customers busted for using a fake ID are entered into a jail diversion program run by the Worcester District Attorney’s office, Needham said. Instead of jail, there are opportunities for volunteering at social service agencies. 

Bourbeau sounded almost resigned to customers attempting to pass off fake IDs as a normal part of doing business. 

“How do you keep 19-year-olds off Google?” Bourbeau asked in jest. 

He mentioned companies that produce the scanners could make improved ones that are easier to use and less expensive. 

But as long as he’s working in the restaurant/bar business, Bourbeau expects fake IDs will be part of the game. 

“People are trying to use them here, for sure,” he said.