Driver's Licenses Become More Difficult To Alter
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Very few people ever say they like their pictures on their driver's licenses.
Now, driver's licenses will be changing, but Hoosiers shouldn't expect better pictures. In fact, the driver's license photos taken will be kept in a digital database, so residents should make sure their photo is as good as it can get.
In the next 10 to 12 weeks, Indiana residents who renew or receive their driver's licenses will notice a major overhaul in the look of their license.
"The whole format will be changed, it'll be digitized," said Alpha Garrett, public relations spokesman for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
She said the driver's license number and the expiration date will be in green. A bar code with demographic information, such as height and weight, will be encoded on the back.
"It'll be kind of like a credit card in that it won't have the plastic cover," she said. It will have a plastic coating, however.
The new license, which will also feature a hologram, is an attempt to prevent people from altering licenses for identification purposes. BMV patrons at the Greenfield and the Michigan Road license branches in Indianapolis have been used as test cases.
As for the cost, Garrett said, "It'll be the same. It'll be $10 for a new one and $6 for a duplicate."
One thing that won't be the same is that the BMV will keep the digitized driver photo in a computer database. Garrett said the driver's signature has been kept on file in the past, but now the signature can be kept with the photo on the computer. If someone steals someone else's information to try to fake an ID, the BMV will have a picture to prevent the culprit from getting someone else's license.
"Through my experience, I would say the majority of the fake IDs are licenses from the license branch," said John Barchak, district two state excise officer. "It doesn't take a real genius to figure out how they're doing this."
Barchak said one way people get fake licenses is by taking someone else's information to the BMV and getting a license. In order to get a driver's license at the BMV, a person must have six points of identification, he said. A passport counts as three points and a past driver's license may count as two points.
He said keeping a person's photo in a database would be a big deterrent.
"On the other hand, you have to have the technology to get the access," Barchak said.
Locally, Barchak said, the fake ID problem in Kosciusko County is as big a problem as anywhere else, especially among young people.
"I would say that the majority of people (who use fake IDs) are 18 to 20 (years old)," Barchak said. "The majority get the fake IDs to get into the bars and purchase alcohol."
Only law enforcement, the state and the BMV will have access to the information. Polaroid, which designed and created the new driver's license for the BMV, will not be given information.
Garrett said she has not heard anything negative about the new IDs or about the database.
"Some people are afraid of fingerprints or eye scans, the future type of thing, but I haven't heard anything of people being scared about their photo in the database. People are actually more secure," she said.
"There's always going to be people who try to get a fake ID," Garrett said. "Hopefully, with this, it'll reduce the number of people who try to get a fake ID."
Garrett said the state BMV will hold a press conference Wednesday in Indianapolis at the Michigan Road license branch concerning the new driver's license.
Barchak said, "The charge that we file (against people with fake IDs) is an infraction. There's a couple different charges that we could use."
Under Title 7.1, a person misrepresenting their age using false identification could lose their driver's license for one year, and be fined for $200 to $500.
A Class B misdemeanor could be filed against a person if they possess a fake ID with the intent to drive. [[In-content Ad]]
Very few people ever say they like their pictures on their driver's licenses.
Now, driver's licenses will be changing, but Hoosiers shouldn't expect better pictures. In fact, the driver's license photos taken will be kept in a digital database, so residents should make sure their photo is as good as it can get.
In the next 10 to 12 weeks, Indiana residents who renew or receive their driver's licenses will notice a major overhaul in the look of their license.
"The whole format will be changed, it'll be digitized," said Alpha Garrett, public relations spokesman for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
She said the driver's license number and the expiration date will be in green. A bar code with demographic information, such as height and weight, will be encoded on the back.
"It'll be kind of like a credit card in that it won't have the plastic cover," she said. It will have a plastic coating, however.
The new license, which will also feature a hologram, is an attempt to prevent people from altering licenses for identification purposes. BMV patrons at the Greenfield and the Michigan Road license branches in Indianapolis have been used as test cases.
As for the cost, Garrett said, "It'll be the same. It'll be $10 for a new one and $6 for a duplicate."
One thing that won't be the same is that the BMV will keep the digitized driver photo in a computer database. Garrett said the driver's signature has been kept on file in the past, but now the signature can be kept with the photo on the computer. If someone steals someone else's information to try to fake an ID, the BMV will have a picture to prevent the culprit from getting someone else's license.
"Through my experience, I would say the majority of the fake IDs are licenses from the license branch," said John Barchak, district two state excise officer. "It doesn't take a real genius to figure out how they're doing this."
Barchak said one way people get fake licenses is by taking someone else's information to the BMV and getting a license. In order to get a driver's license at the BMV, a person must have six points of identification, he said. A passport counts as three points and a past driver's license may count as two points.
He said keeping a person's photo in a database would be a big deterrent.
"On the other hand, you have to have the technology to get the access," Barchak said.
Locally, Barchak said, the fake ID problem in Kosciusko County is as big a problem as anywhere else, especially among young people.
"I would say that the majority of people (who use fake IDs) are 18 to 20 (years old)," Barchak said. "The majority get the fake IDs to get into the bars and purchase alcohol."
Only law enforcement, the state and the BMV will have access to the information. Polaroid, which designed and created the new driver's license for the BMV, will not be given information.
Garrett said she has not heard anything negative about the new IDs or about the database.
"Some people are afraid of fingerprints or eye scans, the future type of thing, but I haven't heard anything of people being scared about their photo in the database. People are actually more secure," she said.
"There's always going to be people who try to get a fake ID," Garrett said. "Hopefully, with this, it'll reduce the number of people who try to get a fake ID."
Garrett said the state BMV will hold a press conference Wednesday in Indianapolis at the Michigan Road license branch concerning the new driver's license.
Barchak said, "The charge that we file (against people with fake IDs) is an infraction. There's a couple different charges that we could use."
Under Title 7.1, a person misrepresenting their age using false identification could lose their driver's license for one year, and be fined for $200 to $500.
A Class B misdemeanor could be filed against a person if they possess a fake ID with the intent to drive. [[In-content Ad]]