As some states are changing the layout of their driver’s license, local bouncers and bars are adapting accordingly.
States like Georgia and California have recently changed their licenses to make replication more difficult.
Despite such drastic changes, co-owner of The Red Shed bar Aaron Zucker said his staff is prepared.
“We advise our security team to pick up on trends from common states that come in to The Red Shed,” he said.
“Our staff is very familiar with Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Florida and other popular out-of-state IDs,” Zucker said. “Recently, there has been in an influx of fake Texas and Georgia IDs. Our security are very aware of their flaws.”
Zucker said bars are responsible for knowing current identifications. Although the transformation can be hard to recognize at first, Zucker said the adjustment time is brief.
“Our security is expected to be able to tell if an ID is fake or not,” he said. “Our management stresses the importance of blacklighting, feeling out the material of the card, matching the face on the card with the patron, and doing other tests such as asking the customer about the information on the ID or providing a second form of identification.”
Cordario Eatmon, a bouncer for Stand Alone Security, said the recent changes of identifications aren’t too complicated to detect.
“They give you a booklet with what the state IDs look like, so you are familiar with all the changes,” Eatmon said. “The changes don’t make my job harder at all.”
Eatmon, who usually works at the Brick House downtown, said he rarely sees people using an older state identification as a fake.
“I never see people trying to use an old state ID to get into the bar,” he said. “I don’t see the recent changes as a problem at all.”
California native Jessica Buchholz, a senior majoring in marketing, said many restaurants and bars were unfamiliar with her driver’s license.
“The California license has several holograms and two photos of the driver,” Buchholz said. “Although I was 21, many businesses did not recognize the license because it was so new.”
Buchholz said her license was repeatedly denied when she attempted to purchase alcohol or enter a bar. Buchholz said she changed to an Alabama license to make things less complicated.
“I was having so many problems with people not recognizing my license,” she said. “I went to the Alabama DMV and got a state license. Since then, I have had no problems.”
Georgia native John Theriot, a senior majoring in finance, said when he first got the new license Tuscaloosa bouncers did not recognize it.
“When I first changed to the new ID bouncers thought it was fake,” he said. “Once they saw many students had the same one, they realized the state had changed their ID.
“I think bouncers in Tuscaloosa do a great job,” Theriot said. “A lot of students are from out of state here and I’m sure it is tough to regulate in the heat of the moment.”
