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Is NYPD Pressing Bar Owners To Get ID Scanners To Fight Terrorism?
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 7, 2011
Modified Jun 7, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 7, 2011
Modified Jun 7, 2011
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There is supposedly a "furor" raging among bar owners "below 14th Street" who say the NYPD is pressuring them to purchase expensive ID scanners to help investigators track personal information and fight terrorism. At least, this is what the NY Post is reporting, in an article consisting of quotes from one unnamed nightclub owner who recalls a "high-level NYPD official" telling a group of bar owners that they "are on the front lines of terrorism... We have to be the eyes and ears."
The ID scanners, which cost an average $1,000, record the personal information of every patron who comes into the bar, saving the name, date of birth and address. The NYPD can obtain this information upon request, and according to the Post, some bar owners are objecting to the scanners because "it's a civil-rights violation for patrons and could lead to identity theft."
And the NYCLU is indeed concerned about the scanners violating privacy; NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman tells us, "A program that was pitched to the public as a deterrent against underage drinking should not be hijacked by the police to create a permanent NYPD database of everyone that goes into bars in New York City." But the NYCLU—they're concerned about everything, and it's unclear if the lone barman cited in the Post really represents a disgruntled majority.
For more, we spoke with Susan Stetzer, the Community Board 3 District Manager, to see if she knew anything about the ID scanners being foisted upon barkeeps in order to fight the good fight against terrorism. This was news to her, and she also expressed doubt that the ID scanners could lead to identity theft.
"If it were me, I'd want to find one bar owner who ever had that information requested," says Stetzer. "That doesn't mean someone's not saying it, but I've never heard of anyone claiming identity theft for a situation like that. There is a lot of crime in bars and some of the highest crime in the area is grand larceny, which is mostly connected to wallets and purses being stolen. So if there's a high rate of identity theft, how do they know that's not where the identity theft is coming from?"
Underage drinking is a problem in East Village bars, but another local bar owner—who asked that his name be withheld because he's so concerned about attracting unwanted attention from the police—tells us, "I cannot recall the last time the 9th precinct had a bar meeting, which is when the precinct asks all the bar managers and owners to come to a meeting to tell us how bad we are. Or good. There's a new precinct manager in 9th who's been around a year or so. And I don't recall there being any conversation about terrorism and about getting info for a terrorist watch list."
The bar owner did say that police want bars to use the ID scanners to help them with criminal investigations, but not fighting terrorism—unless we're talking about the terror of shrieking NYU students stumbling arm-and-arm down Avenue A at 3 in the morning.
Tagged
bars
id scanner
nightlife
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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