Unalaska, AK – The Unalaska Department of Motor Vehicles office is recalling Alaska driver's licenses and identification cards issued over the past three months. Cards issued between November 1, 2010 and February 3, 2011 may potentially lack TSA-required security features due to problems with the card stock. Approximately 300 cards were issued at this time, and an unknown number lack this feature.

Sgt. Matt Betzen with the Unalaska Department of Public Safety says that problem was the result of a lack of communication between the Anchorage DMV office and the new employee at the Unalaska DMV office over how the card stock should be loaded in order to activate the black light security feature. The problem was first noticed when a person issued a driver's license in Unalaska attempted to travel within the state.

The Department of Public Safety is now doing community outreach in an effort to recall the defective cards. The department is posting flyers and reaching out to local businesses to create awareness of the problem.

"We're contacting the major processors, because that's where we believe most of those

ID cards and driver's licenses were issued to," says Betzen.
Because only a small number of cards were affected, the cost of the problem is expected to be minimal.

"Basically the cost is just the cardstock," says Betzen. "The biggest cost is the inconvenience to the people who, because of an error, don't have driver's licenses and ID cards that will make it through TSA."

Persons issued defective cards can have them replaced at the DMV office during business hours at no charge.