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Boulder liquor officer reports surge in fraudulent IDs; local trainers seek to restart industry group
Summary
Boulder Police liquor enforcement officer told the Beverage Licensing Authority that submissions of fraudulent IDs are up sharply this year; two community members urged the board to support restarting a volunteer industry training group to help licensees and students.
Officer Leah Rec, the Boulder Police Department liquor enforcement officer, told the City of Boulder Beverage Licensing Authority on May 21 that her office has seen a sharp rise in fraudulent IDs submitted by licensed establishments.
"For 2024, we had 1,851 fraudulent IDs turned in. And so far this year, we're not even to May, and we've had 1,139," Officer Rec said, adding that the age of the cardholders appears to be getting younger and that processing the submissions is already taking substantial staff and volunteer time.
The increase matters because seized fraudulent IDs are evidence used in enforcement and because repeat possession can lead to tickets and court action. Rec described the department's typical enforcement approach: first offenses generally receive a warning that is also sent to the University of Colorado (when applicable); subsequent seizures may be charged by summons or ticket and handled in municipal or county court, or through diversion programs that can include community service or classes.
Rec asked the authority to consider ways to reduce the number of counterfeit IDs and to work with licensees and the university on prevention. She said a volunteer who helps process seized IDs is currently spending about 30 hours a week on that task.
Two people who spoke during the meeting's public comment period urged the board to help revive a local, volunteer-run industry training group that previously provided fake-ID trainings and other responsible-service programming. Nathan (Ty) Dewey, who said he formerly led the Responsible Association of Retailers in Boulder (RAR), said he has formed a new LLC to resume training work and asked for 10–15 minutes at a future meeting to describe the program's offerings.
"I was providing fake ID trainings, which would help to combat what you and Officer Rec were just talking about," Dewey said.
AJ Sandoval, security manager at the Pearl Street Pub, said the prior group filled an information-sharing role between licensees, law enforcement and the city and that a staffed, volunteer model could make it easier for the city to communicate rules and training opportunities to licensees.
"We definitely have that void where getting information out to licensee holders can be difficult," Sandoval said. He said the revived group would not be political and would focus on training — for example, over-service prevention, de-escalation for security staff and fake-ID recognition.
Why it matters: Licensees and police said the volume of fraudulent IDs affects enforcement workload and the risk that underage patrons reach alcohol. Board members expressed interest in both more prevention and in working with industry volunteers and university partners on outreach to incoming students and licensees.
The authority did not take formal action on prevention measures at the May 21 meeting but flagged the topic for discussion at the board’s retreat and encouraged staff, Officer Rec and the public commenters to coordinate on possible training and outreach.
