Bars, Liquor Stores Ready For College Fake IDs

DULUTH -  Move-in day means fresh, young faces excited about a new chapter in life.  But it also means college parties and underage drinking.  And it's that behavior that have liquor stories and bars keeping a big eye out for fake IDs."Move-in day obviously ups the ante a bit because there are so many more kids in the area but this is something we go all year long," said Katie Hagglund, owner of Last Chance Liquor in Duluth.Hagglund says her staff is always on the lookout because students try hard to get their hands on alcohol."Two years ago, there was a group pf 300 students that purchased two IDs a piece online. They were all Wisconsin drivers licenses; they all had the same errors on them," Hagglund said.  "Typically what we tell [the staff] to do is to question the minor or person using the ID, typically that is when the kids freeze up and it's not too difficult to realize it's fake. Often times they just walk out the door."Dubh Linn Irish Pub runs its employees through extensive training to prevent minors from sneaking in."We actually have people who come in the stores ... or under-cover bar people, who are under 21, and see if they can spot them.  We've had a really good success rate with that so far," explained Cody Fultz, manager at Dubh Linn's.And Mike Maxim, owner of Dubh Linn's, says when keeping minors out, a good defense is the best offense."If you're not diligent about it, you get people that come in they realize it. They tell their friends, then their friends know, but when you're diligent about it, they just know. They find out right away their buddies ID got taken or they know it's a no-entry policy, so it's not really an issue once you lay the ground work for it," Maxim said.Meanwhile, liquor store owners like Hagglund think, before anything changes, the police have to put more pressure on the students."We started calling 911 after we collected it; I'd have the picture printed off, we'd have the ID, we'd give it to the police officer and after a while they just stopped coming to pick them up from us," Hagglund explained.Duluth police officials say they take the offenses seriously and say they routinely issue citations to those using fake IDs.But don't get Hagllund wrong, she's as big a Bulldog fan, just like anyone else."I love when school comes back around. It's a great business boost for us and the rest of the city of Duluth."