photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

The Lawrence Police Department plans to crack down on underage drinking and fake IDs just as the fall semester of the University of Kansas gets underway.

The department plans to team up with the KU Public Safety Office and the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division to put together a task force to “help deter intoxication and help reduce crimes of violence,” according to a proposal to the Lawrence City Commission from Lt. Ryan Halsted. Known as The Douglas County Fake ID Task Force, it will be funded by a $30,000 grant through Sept. 30, from the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office in Topeka.

The task force will focus on issuing citations for minors in possession of alcohol, possession of fake driver’s licenses or identification cards and the manufacturing thereof and furnishing alcohol to minors, according to the proposal.

The task force will include KU Public Safety Office because of “a collective desire by the parties to collaborate to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the City of Lawrence, to include the students and faculty of the University of Kansas,” according to the proposal.

An officer from the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division will coordinate with two officers from each agency for a total of six officers, including the coordinator, but additional officers may participate in enforcement. The task force will have jurisdiction throughout the city and on any property owned by KU, according to the proposal. Enforcement is planned in five-hour increments.

The task force proposal is scheduled to be submitted to the Lawrence City Commission at its meeting Tuesday.