Seizure of fake IDs in city increases, while college experiences decline for alcohol violations
By: Shenandoah Briere and Joel Collard
Lt. Matthew Barbeau of the Oswego State University Police and Lt. Zachary Misztal of the Oswego Police Department both grew up in Oswego and said they have seen the city transform. Both officers recalled bars that are now long gone; standing in place are current establishments such as Fastrac and McDonald’s on West Bridge Street.
In 2016, Gov. Andrew Cuomo started “Operation Prevent” with a goal of stopping underage drinking at colleges or in college towns and using false identification to get alcohol. The operation was intended to crackdown on underage drinking throughout New York State overall.
In Oswego, the two entities that aid students and seek to prevent underage drinking are the University Police and the Oswego Police Department.
Misztal, a supervisor of bar details, said checking for fraudulent IDs is one way to deter underage drinking. The goal of the details is to make it so those caught with fake IDs do not attempt using them again. He said a first offense would be a warning, but after that the violation could range from a misdemeanor to something more serious, depending on how the ID was going to be used.
According to a press release by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles office in 2016, there were 826 fraudulent licenses seized, an increase of about 15 percent from 2015. There were also 818 individuals arrested for underage drinking, an increase of a 7.9 percent from 2015.
Data provided by the Oswego Police Department shows how the increase, specifically in the city of Oswego, correlates directly to the increase seen for the state.
The city of Oswego had a 1,000 percent increase in arrests for unauthorized use of a license from 2015 to 2016. This occurred after the implementation of “Operation Prevent.”
Barbeau said even though University Police has no jurisdiction over the city, they will sometimes send an officer to assist the city police in the ID checks. He also said the college takes a more educational than criminal approach in enforcement due to the “Good Samaritan” law in New York State.
The New York State 911 Good Samaritan law enables students to call for help if they are intoxicated and need medical assistance or see someone who needs medical attention, without the fear of being arrested.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 12-to-20-year-olds drink 11 percent of all the alcohol in the U.S. and more than 90 percent of that is through binge drinking. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s survey found 60 percent of college students 18-to-22-years-old drank alcohol within the past month of when the study was conducted. Of the 60 percent, two-thirds of them also engaged in binge drinking. For drinking to be considered ‘binge drinking,’ a man must consume five drinks and a woman four, within two hours.
Despite studies that have shown binge drinking to be a problem on college campuses, Oswego State has seen a decline in the amount of both alcohol violations and alcohol only related Student Association Volunteer Ambulance Corporation (SAVAC) calls.
The most up-to-date Clery Report released by the college, showed an average of 143 liquor law disciplines from 2013–15. The report also showed a downward trend for those years, going from 179 in 2013, to 109 in 2015. Dylan Charland, the president of SAVAC, said that about 36 percent of the calls that come in are alcohol or drug related. The other 64 percent are traumatic injuries and general medical problems like trouble breathing and abdominal pain, Charland said. From 2014 to 2016, SAVAC saw a 12 percent decrease in alcohol only related calls.
For students on campus that are caught with excess alcohol or are caught drinking underage, there are various punishments that can follow to ensure that the student will not violate the student conduct codes again. Disciplinary action includes: a mark on the student’s record, a letter sent to the student’s parents and if this is the student’s first offense, then they must take a class at the LifeStyles Center. The class is mandatory, focusing on the overall health of the students and how they manage stress on campus. If the student does not take the first class, “In-Shape,” then they are then required to take another class called “Brief Alcohol Training and Intervention for College Students” or “BASICS.” Both classes also come with a fee, $25 for the first and $80 for the second.
Misztal said working in the city to decrease underage drinking is important for him because he said there are other ways to bring the students and community closer together.
“As a resident, I enjoy the influx of people that come in, I enjoy the economic boost that it gives to the area, I enjoy a lot of aspects,” Misztal said. “I think there are a lot more positives that come from community and college relations than negatives. I want everyone to come to this city and to enjoy everything the city has to offer, but I want them to do so respectfully and responsibly.”
Oswego State students participate in events, in and around the community, such as festivals and clean-up projects. This pleases Misztal, who said he wants to see more college participation in the community. He said he hopes involvement will cut back on the issues related to alcohol violations. Misztal said some students are too wrapped up in the experimental aspect of college and not focusing enough on positive community events.
“Lowering the drinking age would have an overall positive effect on the current drinking culture,” Charland said.
Charland said that being introduced to drinking at a younger age helps people drink more responsibly. However, a 1995 study done by the U.S. Department of Justice and a similar 2007 study done by researchers at Dartmouth showed that the drinking culture in other countries is not much different than in the U.S.
The 1995 Department of Justice study concluded that in European countries there were higher intoxication rates among young people than there were in the U.S. The Dartmouth study that involved 36 countries ranked the U.S. 15th overall for 15- to-16-year-olds drunk in the past 30 days. They also found that one percent of 10th graders in the U.S. reported being drunk 10 to 19 times within 30 days, the same percentage as 14 European countries.
Barbeau said that while there have been efforts made to decrease drinking in Oswego it does remain a problem nationwide for college students.
