TABC Conducts Operation Fakeout in San Marcos
Now that the winter break has come to a close, Texas State University college students are back in class and back on The Square - and so is the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Our message is: Underage drinkers beware. On Saturday, January 19, 2008, agents and officers from TABC, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, the San Marcos Police Department and numerous other law enforcement agencies will be conducting “Operation Fake Out” in San Marcos. Operation Fake Out is a cooperative venture involving alcoholic beverage retailers and law enforcement agencies. TABC agents along with other peace officers are stationed just inside the door of participating bars and nightclubs. The doormen stationed outside the door conduct a cursory visual scan of an ID and then pass the customer inside to the waiting police officer. The officer re-checks the ID using a magnetic strip reader and ultraviolet light to detect tell-tale imperfections. If the ID passes that test, the officer closely compares the physical description and picture found on the ID with actual physical appearance of the presenter.
Young people presenting fake, forged, or altered IDs, or IDs that clearly belong to other people, are arrested and charged with the appropriate ID-related offense. State officials may also interview them regarding the source of their ID’s.
The following law enforcement agencies will be participating in this operation:
Austin Police Department - Alcohol Control Team
Hays County District Attorney’s Office
Hays County Sheriff’s Department
San Marcos City Marshal’s Office
San Marcos Police Department
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas State University Police Department
The Hays County Sheriff’s Department Training Office will serve as the command post location during the operation, and Justice of the Peace Pct. # 2, Beth Smith, has agreed to magistrate.
Operation Fake Out is a TABC-sponsored event, taking place primarily in the entertainment districts of most of the state’s major metropolitan areas and around the state’s college campuses. Prior to the start of the operation, TABC agents provide participating law enforcement agencies with special training on the detection of false, fraudulent and altered identification.
Operation Fake Out allows retailers and law enforcement to work together to curb underage drinking. It holds underage drinkers responsible for their illegal acts. Finally, it generates operational intelligence that can help authorities identify and root out those who are endangering our children and undermining national security by flooding the country with high quality fake ID’s.