Thread: New driver's licenses touted in fraud fight in New York

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New driver's licenses touted in fraud fight
BY CARA MATTHEWS
Albany Bureau
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A new state driver's license unveiled Thursday by Gov. George E. Pataki is designed to improve security, reduce underage drinking and make fraud and tampering "virtually impossible."

The state-of-the-art features included in the redesigned license (not only) will greatly improve the ability of law enforcement to keep motorists safe, but also help combat the serious problem of underage drinking that often results in tragic consequences," the governor said in a statement Thursday.

"Just as important, these anti-fraud measures will significantly thwart the ability of those who seek to use fraudulent identification to foster terrorism, break the law and cause harm," he added.

Highlights of the licenses include:

• A wavy line, similar to one that appears on a heart monitor screen, that runs across the front of the card and appears to float above the license.

• A backup layer of protection in the laminate that will reveal any cut lines or spots caused by alterations when viewed under a special light.

• A "rainbow" printing that makes colors hard to reproduce.

• Special patterns within the design and license that can't be photocopied.

• Inks that are not used commercially and that are fluorescent under ultraviolet light.

• A two-dimensional bar code on the back of the license.

• A state coat of arms visible only under ultraviolet black light.

Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Joe Picchi said New York stepped up its efforts to improve driver's license security features after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Starting Sept. 1 this year, people who apply and renew licenses will get them with the new format. The application process remains the same, he said.

The new licenses, permits and state identification cards are being phased in over the next eight years.

The changes will increase the DMV's cost per license from 92 cents to $1.26, Picchi said. The agency will distribute the new licenses to drivers 25 and younger by Sept. 1, 2006, as part of a new anti-underage drinking effort -- "Operation Prevent" -- to recover fraudulent and altered ID documents. Drivers will not have to pay for the replacement cards. Anyone who is not of legal drinking age will get "under 21" markings in red on the front of the license.

The number of New York driver's licenses in 2004 was 11.25 million, DMV statistics show.

Department of Motor Vehicle administrators across the nation have been working since well before Sept. 11, 2001, to improve the security of driver's licenses, and they have been moving forward at different rates, said Jason King, a spokesman for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

"Clearly, what the state (New York) is doing is doing its best and doing its due diligence to stay one step ahead of those unscrupulous individuals looking to capitalize on the fraudulent ID market," he said.

Jeanine Pirro, Westchester County district attorney, said in a statement Thursday that forged licenses have been a "pervasive" problem. "This new license will help drive fraudulent document mills out of business," she said.

This year, Congress passed a law that gives states three years to adopt a set of uniform standards by which they issue driver's licenses, said Colleen Gilbert, executive director of the New York-based Coalition for a Secure Driver's License. The legislation requires states to make the IDs more secure and tamper-resistant, she said.

There has been a lot of complaining about the law in different states, Gilbert said. Among the criticisms are that it is an unfunded mandate; it is equivalent to requiring a national identification card and could violate privacy; and it restricts the rights of illegal aliens because applicants are required to prove they are in this country legally, she said.

"The coalition is extremely pleased that, in the face of opposition from a lot of other state governors, New York state is continuing to set the example and standard for driver's license security," said Gilbert, whose group was formed shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

Attorney Marshall Fitz of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said his group supported the standardization of security features but had several objections to the legislation.

The organization believes that decisions should be left up to the state on the illegal immigrant issue. Some might prioritize having licensed drivers for safety reasons over not licensing illegal aliens, and driver's license databases are an important information and law enforcement tool, he said.

"This was couched as a national security imperative and ... for the most part it had everything to do with people interested in shaping anti-immigration policy, not anti-terrorism policy," he said.

There has been a lot of complaining about the law in different states, Gilbert said. Among the criticisms are that it is an unfunded mandate; it is equivalent to requiring a national identification card and could violate privacy; and it restricts the rights of illegal aliens because applicants are required to prove they are in this country legally, she said.

Restricts the rights of illegal aliens? I guess they mean those who have no right to be in this country in the first place?
EXCUSE ME!