Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Spotting Fake IDs 101

By LEAH FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER, The Chapel Hill News

CHAPEL HILL -- Standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling wine cooler at Elaine's on Franklin, Police Officer Allison Finch pulled a plastic ID out of an envelope.

It's her favorite fake.

She uses the paper ID taped to a red, plastic YMCA blood donor card to make a point: Servers should ask customers to take their IDs out of their wallets.

It was just one of the tips Finch, who runs the Be a Responsible Server, or BARS, program, shared Friday afternoon with about two dozen employees of the ritzy downtown restaurant.

"I don't like to be there after people have made mistakes," she said.

The talk was timely.

On Oct. 5, an intoxicated driver employed by a downtown Chapel Hill bar hit a Carrboro woman and her guide dog, breaking the woman's leg and killing her dog, according to police.

Finch, who was invited by Elaine's management to speak, said drinking on the job is one of the biggest problems in bars.

"The minute you start drinking, you have to make sure you're not in a [restaurant] uniform," Finch said. "You can't [legally] do any sort of work. You can't walk into the kitchen or the office. You can't go anywhere a customer can't go."

If the employee leaves the bar or restaurant intoxicated, it's a major violation of North Carolina's Alcohol Beverage Control regulations, she said. The establishment can face a suspension of alcohol sales.

It's also illegal, Finch said, for an establishment to continue serving customers who are visibly drunk.

Accepting fake IDs is among the biggest violations, particularly in Chapel Hill bars, Finch said.

"We know people have fake IDs out there," Finch said. "If it looks credible, we are not going to hold you responsible. However, some of the IDs are really bad, and you are accountable for the bad ones."

Bret Jennings, Elaine's chef and owner, said he invited Finch to help his employees learn the ABC laws and understand their responsibility to the restaurant.

"People don't understand that it extends to me, the owner" if the restaurant is found in violation, he said. "They don't understand it can go beyond the scope of just someone getting drunk."

Contact staff writer Leah Friedman at 932-2002 or leahf@nando.com

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