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• Vol. 115 • Issue 7 • March 25, 2022
Opinions: Muleskinner Team goes to NYC, pg. 8
Sports: Lovinger Gym to be Renovated, pg. 10
How and Why Students Get Fake IDs Editor’s Note: This article has two anonymously interviewed students because admitting they have fake IDs and explaining the process they went through to get them can be incriminating. The Muleskinner wanted to investigate why students choose to buy Fake IDs, not report on those who have them to get them in trouble. Information recieved from anonymous sources is always corroborated and accuracy checked. EMMA FISCHER News Editor
Black water runs into porcelain sinks as bar patrons aggressively scrub at the black x’s marked on the back of their hands. Every year, the Warrensburg Police Department seizes between 100 to 150 fake IDs. Like any college town, Warrensburg’s trouble with underage drinking and partying are expected, but why do UCM students choose to use fake IDs? Fitting into the college student stereotype, one student uses their fake ID to get into bars and drink with friends, noting that it’s fun and something weird happens every time. Though they live on UCM’s campus “I think that when you turn eighteen during the school year, they don’t party and you’re considered an adult, you in Warrensburg but in a bigger college should be able to do whatever you town in Kansas. Legally, Missouri bars want,” the student said. “I think that are allowed to confiscate IDs and turn it’s all very outdated. I think that the them over to police, but Kansas laws drinking age should be eighteen. It’s forbid that. 18 in a lot of countries [like] Mexico; The student, nineteen years old, it’s even lower over in Europe.” ordered their ID online with an order Another UCM student bought for fifteen other IDs their fake ID online for other individuals and mostly used it “I think that when younger than 21. you turn eighteen and when the COVID-19 “It was kind of a pandemic began. you’re considered an pain,” the student “I just sit there adult, you should be playing Xbox and [I said. “Everybody had to send me a picture, able to do whatever thought], ‘this could and then I had to get you want,” one student be a lot more fun their signature and drinking,’ and so address they wanted who uses a fake ID said. I’d go buy alcohol “I think that it’s all very and drink with my on the ID.” When purchasing outdated. I think that brother,” the student fake IDs, people the drinking age should said. “We didn’t really can choose which have much else to do be eighteen.” state license they because everything want their fake ID was closed.” to resemble, and the student chose to The student said they thought of have a Missouri ID because they had alcohol as an avenue to socialize and heard it was an easier ID to fake than become closer with their friends, their home state’s. and without a Fake ID, they couldn’t The student said also said they participate. They used their ID for believe that the drinking restriction in nearly two years before anyone the United States should be lowered. recognized it as a fake
Illustration by Liliana Lozano
and refused to sell alcohol to them. Corporal Jake Prindle is an officer of the Warrensburg Police department and part of his work deals with fake ID enforcement. “It’s technically an arrestable offense, meaning if I were to catch you with one, I could put you in handcuffs, I could bring you down here, we could do the whole nine yards with that,” Prindle said. “Most of the time, I don’t do that. I give them a ticket and they go out the door, so it’s something relatively minor.” Missouri law states that offenders can be put in jail for up to one year or given a $1,000 fine. Additionally, because of how fake ID websites are operated, individuals could be giving their personal information to a company that could potentially sell it to international criminals, according to Transportation Security Administration analyst Don Morrison. Another unintended consequence of having a fake ID is that if an individual is caught and fined for possessing one, a future employer is within their rights to request records and access that information. For the Warrensburg Police Department, they are not so worried
about students’ future job outlook or global terrorism, but about the smaller effects fake ID use can cause. “The big concern that I have and the reason we work cases the way we do is we don’t want people drinking underage in the bars,” Prindle said. “That’s a liability on the bar, it’s a liability on the city.” If a bar is caught serving underage patrons, it could lose its liquor license and individual bartenders could face legal consequences. Those choosing to drink while underage could also be a liability to the city for several reasons. If a bar is shut down because it loses its license, then there’s less business and tax revenue for the city. Prindle wants to prevent people from drinking underage as it can result in other illegal and potentially dangerous activities. Prindle said he wants to deter people from making other bad decisions that are associated with underage drinking, such as minors in possession of alcohol, public indecency, trespassing, assault and drunk driving. “We try to be preventative,” Prindle said. “We’re not out here trying to ruin underage people’s lives. We’re here to hopefully prevent worse things from happening.”