Homeland Security told about licenses theft in NLV

Jace Radke

Wednesday, March 9, 2005 | 10:56 a.m.

The Homeland Security Department has been notified of the theft of 1,700 blank Nevada state driver's licenses and the FBI has offered to assist in the investigation.

Adjutant Gen. Giles Vanderhoof, the commander of the Nevada National Guard and state homeland security adviser, sent a notice to officials in Washington, D.C., so that news of the Sunday-night theft at a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles office in North Las Vegas could be sent out across the country as part of a homeland security bulletin.

"I'm concerned about the theft because a driver's license is what we show when we rent a car, cash a check or fly on an airplane," Vanderhoof said. "Everyone wants to see a government ID and a driver's license is the most common form."

FBI spokesman Special Agent David Schrom said that the FBI has been in contact with the agencies investigating the theft, the North Las Vegas Police and the state Department of Public Safety.

"As of right now a federal law has not been violated, but the FBI has offered to assist in the investigation if a federal law is determined to have been broken," Schrom said.

Schrom added that, at this point, there is no evidence that the theft is in any way connected to terrorism.

Vanderhoof said that he is in contact with the Department of Public Safety, and that he will be following the investigation by local authorities.

"We have to let the police agencies conduct the investigation and determine the facts of what happened," Vanderhoof said.

"The licenses could be used by someone attempting to smuggle illegal aliens in the country. They could be used for all kinds of things."

The primary reason individuals would burglarize a DMV is to get the materials needed to make fake identifications, which could then be used to cash checks or access other personal information, North Las Vegas Police spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

The robbery occurred shortly before midnight, when the burglars drove a vehicle through a 9-by-11-foot window in the back of the DMV at 4110 Donovan Way. They got away with 1,700 blank driver's licenses and the equipment needed to turn them into fake driver's licenses, police said.

The burglars could make pretty convincing fake driver's licenses that could be used for fraudulent transactions at check-cashing marts, banks and other businesses, law enforcement officials said.

If a police officer were to run a computer check on a fake driver's license the officer would be able to tell that the information does not match up to DMV records, DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said.

Other law enforcement agencies, courts, employers doing employment tests and insurance agencies would also be able to detect any fake driver's licenses issued because of discrepancies between the fake ID holder and the actual records, Malone said.

The equipment stolen included a computer and license printer, but the thieves will not be able to access DMV information from the computer because the programs are encrypted, Malone said.

The burglars struck the DMV at a little before midnight and had fled the scene by the time police arrived less than 20 minutes later. The speed of the robbery and the materials stolen were signs that the burglary was well planned, authorities said.

"It appears that they specifically targeted the stuff they wanted," Vanderhoof said.

The burglars ignored the cash on the premises that was kept in a safe and stole only the blank driver's licenses and computer equipment, Bedwell said.