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Police turn to smartphone app to combat underage drinking

Posted at 10:20 AM, Aug 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-04 10:20:02-04

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Friday the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has launched a pilot program to crack down on underage drinking and the use of fake IDs.

The Intellicheck "Law ID" app, developed by Intellicheck Inc., and only available to law enforcement, enables investigators to scan a license or ID using the app on their smartphone.

Once the ID is scanned, it is matched against driving records from all 50 states, within seconds the investigator will know whether the ID is authentic or not.

New York is the first state in the nation to pilot the program. 

"Underage drinking can lead to bad decisions and situations with potentially lifelong consequences," Governor Cuomo said. "I'm proud to launch this new pilot program that capitalizes on exciting new technology developed right here in the Empire State and will aid in our efforts to crack down on this reckless and dangerous behavior."

The new technology will be added to the "Operation Prevent Campaign," which is currently in place and has led to 211 arrests this summer for individuals possessing fake IDs or trying to consume alcohol while underage.

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