By
Ryan Gabrielson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Three UA students arrested at Maloney's Friday
Tucson police officers have targeted bars frequented by UA students during an increased number of checks for fake IDs during the past few weeks.
Three University of Arizona students were arrested at Maloney's, 213 N. Fourth Ave., during one raid Friday night in which officers entered the bar and began asking for identification of anyone who looked "underage," said Sgt. Marco Borboa, Tucson Police Department public information officer.
Two of the students that were arrested were females who had used another person's ID to get into the bar. The other, a male student, had a counterfeit ID.
There are normally between two and five officers conducting a bar check, Borboa said, and there has been an increase in such checks because TPD has hired enough officers to adequately crack down on the use of fake IDs.
"We're reaching a level that allows us to do what was common in the past," he added.
While most checks don't require more than five officers, the number of officers deployed depends on how many people are in the crowd, Borboa said.
TPD officers spent three hours checking IDs during their raid at Maloney's.
Officers have also raided O'Malley's, 247 N. Fourth Ave., and Dirtbag's, 1800 E. Speedway Blvd., Barboa said.
"It's never been this thorough, it's like they're inspired," a Dirtbag's manager said yesterday. "We (Dirtbag's) plan on being raided everyday."
The Dirtbag's manager spoke with the Wildcat on the condition that his name be withheld.
"The cops have declared war against everyone," the manager said. "The police are going after everyone."
Tucson police checked Dirtbag's on Sept. 6 for three hours and didn't arrest anyone, the manager said.
"They (TPD) came in here (O'Malley's) on Thursday night with the cops and the TV cameras and they didn't get us for anything," said Steve Gutbub, an O'Malley's manager.
Gutbub added that TPD officers spent more than an hour inspecting O'Malley's patrons' identifications.
While Gutbub said he has noticed an increase in police presence at local bars and on North Fourth Avenue, it hasn't affected O'Malley's.
"We have a more mature crowd," Gutbub said.
According to the Arizona liquor law 4-244, all peace officers have the right to ask for identification of any individual in an establishment where alcohol is served, which makes it possible for officers to conduct raids.
Occasionally, TPD will inform the bar ahead of time that they plan to perform a check, Borboa said.
Although the increase in checks stems from an increase in the number of officers, he said if fake IDs weren't a problem, these checks wouldn't be done.
"We go into problem-solving mode," Borboa said.
Fake IDs have been harder for underage people to attain, the Dirtbag's manager said, and with more attention being paid to the bars, it could become harder for them to enter the bars even with the fake IDs.
"All the traditional places are tightening up their doors," he said.
