Blue Shamrock disciplinary hearing continued after police present counterfeit‑ID evidence and on‑site scanner test

A disciplinary proceeding concerning alleged violations of Massachusetts law at the Blue Shamrock, 105 Market St., was continued to May 15 by the Lowell Licensing Commission on April 17 after police described two counterfeit identification cards seized March 1 and demonstrated how the establishment's ID scanner handled those cards.

The Lowell Police Department presented an investigative summary and the confiscated IDs to the commission. Detective Johnny Sam (Lowell Police) described the counterfeit cards to the commission, saying the cards were “noticeably heavier in weight and had less flexibility” than registry‑issued IDs and that photographs on the fake cards were distorted and off‑center. Police officers offered to scan the confiscated cards at the hearing to show the scanner’s response; the commission accepted the demonstration.

Why it matters: The proceeding concerns enforcement of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 138, § 34, which prohibits sale, delivery or furnishing of alcoholic beverages to persons under 21. The commission will ask the city solicitor to provide a…