No duplicates Hologram helps track counterfeit permits By Melanie Branaert Senior Editor Making a counterfeit parking permit wouldn’t seem that difficult. All a person would need is a computer, a good artwork software program and a color printer. Right? Wrong. For anyone at the University of Nebraska Lincoln or other Big Eight institutions, it is becoming much harder to duplicate a parking permit — and get away with it. Dan Hartman, assistant manager at Kinko’s, 1201 Q St., said only a professional printer could create a die-cut — the cut-out at the top of UNL’s permits that allows them to be hung from rear-view mirrors. And because the permit reads “nontrans ferablc,” he said, Kinko’s or any other print shop would need permission from the university to duplicate the permit. If given copyright permission, employees then would try to determine if it were fraudulent, Hartman said. “This is one of the red flags that comes up when you get approached at the counter to make these sorts of copies,” he said. “We would explain to the customer that the reason why we wouldn’t reproduce this because it’s a certificate. It’s the type of thing that we wouldn’t be able to do.” Hartman said it also would be almost impossible to duplicate a permit with a hologram. “If we put it in gold and put it on a copier, it would actually turn out black on a color copier,” he said. “Or it will say something like copy’ across it. They (Parking Services) have done different things to aid in (prevent ing) making copies of it.” ‘Not worth doing’ And that’s exactly what UNL’s Parking Manager Tad McDowell has attempted to do. The addition of a hologram to this year’s permits — the “One” on the “Number One Nebraska” slogan — has helped bring down the number of counterfeit permits, McDowell said. i During the 1994-95 school year, Parking Services reported having 60 false permits, which included those with dates altered and lost or stolen permits. So far this year, the department has received about 30. The majority of tickets for duplicated and stolen permits have been issued to students, McDowell said, but there are a few faculty and staff violators. “These individuals make it hard for everyone else,” he said. “They’re not paying to park.” McDowell said he had seen sloppy versions, near-perfect ones, and everything in between. Most of them are copied, cut-and pastc duplicates that are noticeable, he said. “What seems perfect to the creator may look sloppy to us,” McDowell said. “The slightest mistake they make we can pick up on. “It’s not worth doing.” Parking Services plans to improve the design of next year’s permits and further discourage permit duplication by adding some kind of security area, McDowell said. Other Big Eight schools already have caught on with the trend of adding holograms or holographic stickers to parking permits. - ■ Consequently, the number of counterfeit permits has dropped to a point where most have fewer than 15 a year. Some Big Eight schools, such as Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas, use a system similar to vehicle registration with license plates. Permit holders are given a multiple year permit; a renewal holographic sticker is placed on the permit. This type of system has been very effec tive, according to Duane Archer, director of parking services at Kansas State. Permit holders there are issued the same number for several years. “It keeps tracking of the permit a lot easier because we know they have the same num ber,” he said. Iowa State places a holographic sticker on the rear-view window, along with the hang tag permit, said Connie Colic, ISU’s parking manager. “it’s a unique type of hologram,” she said. “Those (stickers) self-destruct when they peel off if they try to move them from vehicle to vehicle.” Colie said the sticker, which is light sensitive, prevented anyone from duplicating the permit flawlessly because the colors used for the sticker didn’t reflect. The University of Kansas has a slightly different system. Five-year permits are issued, with hang-tags that have gold foil in the design and a holographic validation sticker. Oklahoma State University also uses a silver foil dot placed diagonally on the hang-tag. Donna Hultine, assistant director of parking at KU, said the stickers had different colors, but the holographic material featured a pattern. “It might be crosses or diamonds repeat ing,” she said. The gold foil, which would turn black if copied on a color printer, and the stickers on the plastic rectangular permits have been effective, Hultine said. Since they switched to those items and the hang-tag style, she said, they have had fewer than five violations a year. Stiff penalties Those who duplicate permits at UNL will face stiff penalties, McDowell said. Such people lace a $100 fine, and their vehicles are impounded. They also lose parking privileges for the rest of the academic year, he said. The incident is then reported to the Student Judicial Affairs office. Linda Schwartzkopf, director of Student Judicial A Hairs at UNL, said students could face a number of sanctions if caught with a fake permit. Those sanctions range from receiving a warning from the university or conduct probation to a suspension or expul sion, she said. Several things arc taken into consideration when determining proper sanctions, Schwartzkopf said, such as whether a student had prior conduct violations. She said those with clean conduct records probably would receive a warning or proba tion for a semester or a year, serving commu nity service hours at Parking Services or elsewhere at the university. W nne % Impoundment of vehicle. Incident reported to dean of students for disciplinary review. Kansas % $50 fine % Impoundment of vehicle. Incident reported to KU Police Department. Kansas State % $60 fine H> Wheel lock or boot placed on vehicle. Vehicle towed after 24 hours. Parking privileges may be suspended if permit isn't returned. Missouri % $50 fine # Possible impoundment of vehicle. Nebraska % $100 fine % Impoundment of vehicle. Loss of parking privileges for rest of academic year. Incident reported to student judiciary affairs. Oklahoma % $59 fine Oklahoma State % $40 fine # Wheel lock placed on vehicle. Vehicle towed after 7 p.m. Possible revocation of parking privilege. _$30 citation for parking without valid permit. Is your friend graduating T in May?! Yes? Well then WIN your friend a prize. The Daily Nebraskan will be giving your friend a nice graduation gift AND a feature story in the Daily Nebraskan. But first, YOU have to Ten us your most creative idea for a graduation gift. The gift has to fall within a $50 budget and you have to tell us why you chose the gift for your friend. ■ ■■■■■■■■■■a.•mmummmmmmmmmmmmummm ■ Fill out this form and return it to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 ■ . Nebraska Union by April 15. 1996. J ■ Your Name:_■ ■ Your Address:_____ J ■ ^__ ■ ■ Your Phone No.;_ J J Your Friend s Name:___ ■ ■ Your