By Dan Bristol ’18 and Alex Kerai ’19
Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief
Seven individuals were cited for possessing counterfeit identification or criminal impersonation two weeks ago in an enforcement operation by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department, and the Geneva Police Department, several of them were students of the Colleges.
The operation featured several undercover officers working with door people at Beef and Brew, Parkers, and Riley J’s to detect improper identification as students presented them to gain entry to the establishments.
Six underage individuals were issued appearance tickets for criminal possession of a forged instrument in the 3rd degree, a class A misdemeanor as they tried to use counterfeit identification, and one individual was issued an appearance ticket for criminal impersonation in the 2nd degree for presenting someone else’s ID at the door.
Operations like this happen every few years in Geneva targeted at reducing underage drinking, frequently by college students, in Geneva’s bars according to Vice President for Student Life Robb Flowers. Flowers also noted that similar actions by the State Liquor Authority forced the closure of the
While this is not a matter of the Colleges, Flowers said in an interview with the Herald that they will support students as much as they can including offering tips for dealing with a subpoena, and referrals to legal representation. In his previous experience, while charges can very up to a felony, what some students will receive is a misdemeanor placed on a continuance where if they go a period of time without any other issues with the law they will be forgiven and there will be no finding for a crime.
Students noted that there was a fake ID exchange program planned a few days after the operation, but the event was previously scheduled and unrelated to the bust downtown, according to the Office of Campus Life, and was aimed at helping to keep students safe from similar legal actions in a risk free environment.