Proposal to scan the driver licenses of bar patrons

Proposal to scan the driver licenses of bar patrons

www.sltrib.com

A proposal to scan the driver licenses of bar patrons and keep it on file in a state law enforcement database is a good start, says Senate President Michael Waddoups, but he wants to see the program go further.

Bar owners pitched the idea of doing away with Utah's unique requirement that all patrons be members of a private club, replacing it with the use of electronically scannable driver licenses to prevent underage drinking.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I realize this is Utah state only, but what are your thoughts on this?

First, why would they need to keep the information (all of it) on file? If the purpose is to prevent underaged drinking, then why not just a verification system? Why the archive of information?

Personally, I would not want my details scanned, or kept, in this manner. I don't frequent the bars often, but if I did, I don't think it is anyone else's business but mine.

Fishy. I don't like it.

www.sltrib.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 3-2-2009 by helpmefindtheway]

Scanning the bar code on a drivers license can bring up ALL information the police have on you. While adding your name to a list of people at said bar; so that when they pull you over later they can get you for drinking easily.
Think about it.....

Sounds fishy to me as well.

Tho they could take this idea to a better level to help target DUI drivers.

Say that when you buy a beer and consume it your license is scanned everytime you buy a beer / hard liquor drink. (that you consume) It should NOT be kept on file for more then 8 hours. (the time that it takes for the effect of booze to leave your system enough to where it wont affect your driving)

If they did this say you get pulled over on the way home they run your licenses and bam it pulls up how much you have had to drink. I personally think that this would save officers countless hours on the side of dangerous roads preforming test to see how drunk the suspect really is.

[edit on 3-2-2009 by HolydarknessVA]

Yeah, I especially got the willies after this part:

In a restaurant, if they're serving alcohol, the person ordering the alcohol should show the ID," said Waddoups, who was receiving a demonstration of the license scanners after the Legislature's budget meeting Friday. "At some point, the restaurant would feed [the information] into the central database."

That way, he said, if the restaurant patron left the restaurant and went to a bar, the bartender could know the customer may have already been drinking and might need to be watched more closely.

Watched more closely? Yikes.

It will probably alert the police that you are in a bar. Then they will hang around the bar to get that DWI on you so you can contribute to the government's charity fund. They will keep it on file to put you on the alcoholic list and threaten to use it against you every time you rebel against the government. The government owns you.

If anyone has any pending charges or other issues you would get a tap on the shoulder 5 minutes after you brought your first beer of the night. - That of course is if the terminals are all linked, and I don't see any reason why they wont be.

But you could get round it by gooning to the boozer with a friend you know is clean, and get them to get the drinks in all night.

I have actually already saw these devices in bars before.

Check links out:

LINK

Apparently the tobacco company's have been doing this for some time

LINK

Bass, accompanied during a news conference by representatives of the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association, said the tobacco companies are going into bars offering free cigarettes to people there and asking to see their IDs. They then are scanning the driver's licenses and using information on the licenses to send tobacco-related information to them.

Frankly, that is more information than they need.

That is Big Brother.

I will fight such legislation. I hope others will as well.

Simple solution, drink at home and screw the bars, when they start losing business then you see lobbyist complaining and paying the whores in Washington to stop this moronic bill.

they have been doing this for years in NYC.
The devices used are to validate the license as being authentic.
Nothing more than a bar code reader to verify the info within it matches what is printed to catch fakes. This is knowledge gained from some bar owners who use the devices.

I live in Utah and heard this news this morning. Absolute nonsense! It's not big brother, but rather an attempt by the Mormon Church to make sure everyone in the state lives up to their "Word of Wisdom". Check out our liquor laws sometime.. You will laugh. They are as ridiculous as the Mormon Church.

If this does pass and you get on the list as a drinker, you can sure bet that the Missionaries will be a knockin..

Originally posted by mantic
they have been doing this for years in NYC.
The devices used are to validate the license as being authentic.
Nothing more than a bar code reader to verify the info within it matches what is printed to catch fakes. This is knowledge gained from some bar owners who use the devices.

That is sort of my point, verification is one thing, they are going to store the information for law enforcement officials to use. They clearly state as part of the demonstration that if you have a drink at one restaurant, and then head to a bar, the bartender will know once he scans your license that you had a drink.

Not quite the same, in my opinion. Much more than just verifying license validity.

I think there was a finger print scanner trial around here some years ago... Can't remember too much but I do think I popped into a 24 hour shop to get some cigs when I was out drinking - went to pay by debit card and they wanted my fingerprint... I jokingly told them where to stick it! Then they said got the cash, which I did so no prints. It was only a trial - it never stuck.

reply to post by TERAKO68


Just make sure you are drunk as hell when they come knocking and show them a good time

Originally posted by helpmefindtheway

Originally posted by mantic
they have been doing this for years in NYC.
The devices used are to validate the license as being authentic.
Nothing more than a bar code reader to verify the info within it matches what is printed to catch fakes. This is knowledge gained from some bar owners who use the devices.

That is sort of my point, verification is one thing, they are going to store the information for law enforcement officials to use. They clearly state as part of the demonstration that if you have a drink at one restaurant, and then head to a bar, the bartender will know once he scans your license that you had a drink.

Not quite the same, in my opinion. Much more than just verifying license validity.

Wowzers, I didn't know it was that deep. I agree validating for authenticity is one thing. Linking what, when and where someone drinks is indeed a bit absurd.
Will they be tracking the liquor when you done processing it as well?

Originally posted by marg6043
Simple solution, drink at home and screw the bars, when they start losing business then you see lobbyist complaining and paying the whores in Washington to stop this moronic bill.

I second that. When it starts cutting into the money they will stop it quick.

A few years ago I was at a bar and they scanned my license, a few weeks later I started receiving advertisements for the bar in my mail. Its another way for them to market info to you. Is there a way to disable the strip on your license?

This is part one of a surveillance state. It's already happening voluntarily at many Casinos in my state.

The Casinos offer to give you coupons and comps if you join their club. So, naturally just about everyone decides to join the club and you hand over your drivers license and they not only scan the bar code, but they take a picture scan of the front and then they have your picture on file.

The catch is, at least in my state where there is Indian Reservation Casinos - is that the tribal police work security in the casinos and they will run your ID to see if you have any unpaid tickets or bench warrants etc.

They will also, scan license plates in the parking lot of the Casino's and if they find a hit they print up a picture and then walk through the casino looking for a match.

Yeah, I know some of you Nazi Police State (NWO) types probably think it's great, but once you can't go to a bar or Casino with unpaid traffic violations, next it will be the coffee shop, the grocery store and so on.

It's either about getting your money ( the state get a fortune in fines and fees for DWI's ), or about taking your guns away ( just like people can lose their security clearances for having 'drinking problems', soon enough people will lose the right to own firearms for the same reason ) ...

You're darned right it smells 'fishy !!