Metro

Furor as NYPD squeezes clubs for ID scanners

The NYPD is pressuring Manhattan club owners to buy ID scanners that collect the personal information of every patron carded at the door, sources said.

The move is ostensibly part of police anti-terror efforts, according to one source said — but opponents are crying foul, saying it’s a civil-rights violation for patrons and could lead to identity theft.

“Any bar below 14th Street has been approached by . . . a police sergeant,” said one angry nightclub owner who asked to remain anonymous.

“They say you need to get these scanners. I have three places and it’s happened to two of them. Police are pressuring us,” the owner said.

Bars with the devices have bouncers swipe every patron’s ID card through the scanner. The patron’s name, date of birth and address is then downloaded and made available to the NYPD upon request.

Several months ago, the bar owner said, cops ordered nightclub bosses to attend a meeting where a high-level NYPD official told them that they “are on the front lines of terrorism . . . We have to be the eyes and ears.”

“I thought it was very weird,” the source added.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the scanners deter underage drinking.

“The fact is the Night Life Association representing such taverns and clubs have joined the NYPD in encouraging the use of such devices to deter underage drinking and the quality of life problems associated with it,” he said.