Tuesday, June 18, 2013

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New scanners making bar scene safer
Posted: 11.19.2011 at 9:29 PM
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New ID scanners at downtown Colorado Springs bars.  / FOX21: Adam Jukkola
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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. --

A simple swipe of your ID is all it takes to keep you safe while hitting the downtown Colorado Springs bar scene.

A group of 10 bars and nightclubs are using a new identification scanner as a way to quickly spot fake IDs and watch for troublemakers.

"We had an instance recently with a customer who looked borderline 21. It was a gentleman, and when their ID was scanned on the computer it came up as a 41-year-old woman," Luke Travins of Concept Restaurants said.

The hand-held scanners are part of safety collaboration between the Colorado Springs Police Department and Downtown Premier Partners, who have already implemented a code of conduct.

Clubs can share messages and information as a way to keep an eye out for hooligans.

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Jesse Gerizzle of Colorado Springs thinks the new safety measure is a good idea.

"If there's troublemakers it'll keep them outside, and you don't have to deal with it when you're in here," Gerizzle said.

But not every bar patron we talked to liked the idea.

Stephanie Wright said, "I don't think they should ID anyone like that and check what they're doing."

The new safety measure is the result of a multi-year partnership that's working to improve downtown safety.

"We have more of an opportunity to comply with liquor laws, which is obviously of huge importance in our industry," Travins said.

Not only do the scanners verify a patron's age, they're equipped to hold pictures taken by their newly installed cameras.

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