Madison police report mass underage-citation sweeps and seized fake IDs; city prosecutor files long-form complaints against multiple bars

Madison police and the city prosecutor told the Alcohol License Review Committee on Oct. 16 that recent bar checks have produced unusually large counts of underage citations and that prosecutors have filed or are preparing long-form complaints against multiple establishments.

Captain Kamoski reported that a Sept. 5 tavern check at Chasers produced 157 citations issued to about 142 individuals. He said a more recent check at Scribe (1421 Regent St.) on Oct. 4 was still being written up but officers estimated roughly 132 underage citations out of about 160 patrons and reported seizing around 130 fake IDs. "Once the reports are done, we'll also be referring them up to the city attorney's office for the city attorney to take a look at with any potential ramifications," Kamoski said. He and others noted that ID-scanning systems (PatronScan, TokenWorks) have limits and that some establishments may rely on inconsistent staff practices.

City prosecutor Jen provided a prosecution update: she said multiple long-form complaints have been drafted and filed for incidents mostly from 2022–2023 and noted at least one April 2024 incident (Lucky's). Jen described four incidents at Scottie's that resulted in 91 counts alleging permitting underage persons on the premises; she said Church Key had 129 counts, The Plaza 74 counts, Ivory Room 21 counts, Mom's Bar 14 counts, and Lucky's had multiple complaints spanning different dates and counts. Additional reports for Monday's, Vintage and Chasers were still under review. On the quality and source of fake IDs, Jen said many are becoming very difficult to detect and that "a lot of them I believe come from China." She described reviewing venue video in at least some investigations and said officers often photograph IDs and collect fake IDs during checks.

Committee members asked whether the high citation totals are outliers. Captain Kamoski said such counts are "very much outliers" and suggested causes such as poor staff training, employees letting friends in, or an inconsistent approach to ID checking; he described the department's Safer Bars training and said the department makes resources and training available but cannot compel private establishments to adopt specific systems. Committee members also discussed how police record calls for service and how stratified-policing tags are used for data collection and patrol priorities.

Why it matters: The large citation counts and the number of pending prosecutions signal intensified enforcement activity and carry implications for public safety, licensing disciplinary actions and potential court proceedings for the named establishments. The account also raises questions about the effectiveness of ID-scanning technology and door-staff training.

What’s next: Prosecutor Jen said many long-form complaints have been served and that initial appearance dates should be set in the coming weeks; MPD will continue to process reports and coordinate referrals to the city attorney’s office.