Spring Break Begins
Panama City was once the capital for Spring Break. Tourists and college students wanting to get away would party and drink along the beaches. Now, with many restrictions and no drinking on the beaches, people might not be coming in as they used to.
Nevertheless, Spring Break has begun this week! With that in mind, many law enforcement agents have started to check ID’s of all things. Students usually will get these illegal documents in order to drink or get into clubs when they are underage. Many of the ID’s are seemingly realistic from the technology that we currently have. But that is not deterring officials around Bay County.
Fake I.D. Check
Since Spring Break has begun, law enforcement has been cracking down on those with fake I.D.’s. “Florida Highway Patrol said they are already working on roughly twenty cases involving fake I.D.’s.” Says WMBB news. Twenty cases in the first three weeks of Spring Break might not seem like much. Though students are too easy to sign up and get their hands on these fake I.D.’s; there is a huge consequence. Being in possession of a fake I.D. is a felony in the state of Florida. With the crack down as it is now, there will be many more cases to come.
“We are actively working several cases within the panhandle where we are charging college students and high school students with attempting to try to get these fraudulent drivers license and I.D. cards through the mail.” said Lt. Eddie Elmore, Florida Highway Patrol.
So how do these students get their hands on these fake I.D.’s? The process is actually very simple. Students give their information to web-based companies in other countries. After this, the companies will provide fake identification cards and driver’s license to under age clients for a fee. When delivered, the companies hide the cards in undisclosed packages and mail them to the buyer. The good thing is that if it makes it through U.S. customs, it probably won’t trick law enforcement. Officials will be able to tell that the ID is fake just by looking at it.
“Law enforcement’s trained to recognize what’s wrong with a license. There are certain codes that are supposed to be in the license that is very easy to detect that a lot of these companies miss.” says Lieutenant Elmore.
Mock DUI Crash
To help out with more Spring Break awareness, law enforcement also did a mock DUI crash. Officials want to make it clear what the consequences are for getting behind the wheel after drinking. Over 20 people die daily from drunk drivers in the US alone and they want to make visitors aware. The mock DUI crash is located in Jackson County where it shows teens what it is like to witness a fatal car crash.
“Instead of talking about statistics and everything else, we want them to actually see what’s going to happen if they make those bad decisions that has resulted in fatal scenes before.” Says Lt. Eddie Elmore, FL Highway Patrol PIO. The mock wreck is shown as a head on collision where one of the drivers is unable to escape from the car. Firefighters are shown attempting to break into the car to rescue the driver. Eventually, they are freed and are taken into a helicopter to be life-flighted.
Witnessing a wreck first hand can be something that shakes you to the core even if you are not involved. Being involved in a wreck that you or someone else could prevent is scary. Seeing someone get hurt because of that careless decision is even more scary. Law enforcement wanted to demonstrate this and make sure that teens understood it. More mock wrecks will be shown through the Panhandle in the upcoming year.
Officials also state that there is no excuse to be on the road during Spring Break once you’ve been drinking.
New Ways to Reach Tourists
Everyone loves going to the beach during Spring Break but that doesn’t mean that the weather will cooperate. Tourism leaders are finding new ways to keep the beaches safe for everyone. The first thing on their list is to make sure that everyone knows what the different flags mean on the beach. Of course we’ve all seen the flags waving near the shore. But does everyone know what they all mean? With this in mind, Visit South Walton leaders have found other ways to get in touch with people to let them know the water conditions.
“That’s going to hit you on the radio, on your phone. If you’re a visitor there are also print ads that you’ll see year-round in the area, whether that comes across in these little footballs, we hand out coasters, our beach goers guide or visitors guide.” says David Demarest, Visit South Walton’s Director of Communications. Keeping everyone informed will help to minimize any accidents that could happen with the water’s conditions.
Visit South Walton leaders plan to spend about $100,000 from March to September in order to keep people informed. Knowing that there are also so many people coming to this side of the beach, will Panama City Beach also be joining in on this?
http://www.mypanhandle.com/news/law-enforcement-is-cracking-down-on-fake-ids/1059163771
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meagan Stone
Student Author - Spring 2018
Senior at GCSC pursuing a Bachelors in Applied Science in Digital Media. With over 5 years professional experience in graphic arts, I hope to someday bring my skills overseas.
