LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Every September and January, dozens of thirsty college kids wander into North Ridge Discount Liquors in Laramie and slip a driver's license across the counter.

Their eyes widen a little as the clerk pulls out an identification guide and carefully analyzes the license for anything that looks suspicious. Most underage customers bolt for the door once the identification is exposed as a fake.

"We've got quite the reputation for carding and have a zero tolerance policy," said owner Ed Mascarenas.

Since last September, Mascarenas has collected over 60 fake IDs this way. Most are confiscated at the start of each semester, before students realize what they're getting into.

"It tapers off quite a bit because you build a reputation for obeying the law," Mascarenas said.

Like many other liquor establishments in town, North Ridge has developed strict policies to divert minors.

Anyone who looks under age 30 is carded or asked to leave if they can't provide identification.

Employees are given $10 for each fake ID they confiscate, which is the most frequent type of violation the business encounters.

"It's an incentive for the employee to diligently card," Mascarenas said.

Last September, about five to six bogus licenses were confiscated each week. Mascarenas throws out a pile of them every six months.

With so many high-tech devices readily available, minors are creating phony licenses that look remarkably similar to the real thing.

"The fake IDs are getting really good," Mascarenas said. "You really have to be on your toes to watch for those."

The problem is even more prevalent in university communities like Laramie, where underage students are often pressured to drink.

"The kids are braver because they're on their own for the first time," Mascarenas said.

For that reason and others, some liquor establishments are sending employees to alcohol training courses to learn how to identify fake IDs and signs of intoxication.

The Laramie Police Department offers a training course called TIPS.

"It's a voluntary program," said Jim Kyritsis, commander of LPD administrative services. "There are some establishments that take us up on our program every year and there are some who don't."

Police hope to curb underage drinking and other alcohol offenses through enforcement and education, but it's difficult to tell whether it's making a substantial difference.

Laramie Police Chief Dave O'Malley said there are several possible reasons why alcohol violations dropped about 8 percent last year in Laramie compared to 2002.

"The number of bar checks we did last year were less than the year prior because of staffing situations," O'Malley said. "But we would hope the drop in violations shows we're having some sort of impact on underage drinking."

In 2003, there were 234 drunken driving citations; 13 open container citations; 32 cases of minors in bars; and one citation for false identification.

Last year, officers saw an increase both in underage alcohol consumption and in cases where alcohol was furnished to minors. In most incidents, violators were cited under a new ordinance that holds property owners responsible for parties that involve underage drinking.

Police are also exploring the idea of initiating compliance checks at liquor establishments, although the details are still sketchy.

A local coalition is also looking at creating an ordinance that would require liquor dealers to have TIPS certification before serving alcohol, O'Malley said.

"Some people think it's us verses them when it comes to liquor dealers, but it's not," O'Malley said. "We're working as closely with them as we ever have through TIPS training. I think we have some really responsible license holders."

Most liquor businesses assist police by seizing false IDs and reporting possible drunken drivers or minors who attempt to enter their establishments.

Only three local businesses had employees who were cited for alcohol violations last year, O'Malley said.

During three separate bar checks, bartenders at Fireside Bar were cited for allowing a total of eight minors into the bar. An employee at Coal Creek Coffee was also cited for aiding and abetting a minor to violate liquor laws.

O'Malley said the employee failed to report an incident involving two underage employees who were consuming alcohol.

Additionally, Mulligan's Pub was cited for serving alcohol to minors after normal business hours.

For the most part, O'Malley said businesses do a good job reporting violations. However, it's not likely the number of underage drinking violations will decrease substantially in the future.

"It'll never change," O'Malley said. "There's a lot of pressure on liquor establishments to keep everything clean, because there's constantly minors trying to get in."

AP-WS-04-14-04 1142EDT