The Monmouth city council unanimously approved an ordinance that gives the police department the option to issue an ordinance violation and fine for the use of a fake ID instead of charging the offender with a misdemeanor under state law.
Police Chief Joe Switzer said officers requested the ordinance to deal with situations such as the use of someone else’s ID card to purchase alcohol or to gain entry to an age-restricted venue.
“Having an ordinance would give the officers at the scene, wherever it may be, whatever the incident is, another opportunity or another avenue of approach to enforce someone having a fraudulent identification card,” Switzer said.
The use of a fake ID is a Class A misdemeanor under state law, though felony charges can apply for repeat offenses or if the fake ID is used in committing another crime. Switzer said there’s greater access to fake IDs now than in the past.
“Most of the people that we're dealing with are our college-age, high school-age students,” he said.
With the new ordinance, police can issue a $300 fine and seize the fraudulent identification card. So the city receives the revenue and first-time offenders stay out of court.
Switzer said the police department will track the ordinance violations and repeat offenders could face additional fines or criminal charges.
In other business, there was a split vote on a intergovernmental agreement to join the Prairie Hills Land Bank Authority, which will pool resources in five counties to revitalize vacant, abandoned, and underutilized properties.
The resolution passed 4-3, with council members Brad Bone, Kevin Ferry, and John VanVleet voting against it due to concerns about the cost and a requested three-year commitment. The city will pay $25,000 per year to be part of the land bank, and then could decide to back out or continue.
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