Police are raising the stakes in their crackdown on underage drinking at Evanston bars.

Cmdr. Michael Perry of Evanston Police Department said Tuesday that EPD is changing its policy and will begin arresting anyone caught with fake IDs. Penalties for an arrest will range from a misdemeanor to a felony, depending on the case.

A felony arrest carries a potential of one to five years in prison and remains on a criminal record, Perry said. EPD also will send confiscated IDs to students’ home states, where their driver’s licenses could be revoked.

Previously EPD’s policy was to issue compliance tickets and modest fines to those caught with fake IDs. But three raids of The Keg of Evanston, 810 Grove St., and the 1800 Club, 1800 Sherman Ave., since the beginning of Fall Quarter have yielded almost 30 citations, Perry said — a sign the citations are “starting to be a joke.”

Perry said the increase in penalties stems from a concern for the safety of students, who are more likely to be mugged, raped or involved in traffic accidents when drunk.

EPD also is offering classes to the bouncers of local bars to help them identify fake IDs. Perry praised the recent efforts of the Keg and other Evanston bars in trying to catch underage students at the door.

Perry cautioned students that if they are asked to sign something — a common test used by bouncers suspicious of an ID — and they use a name other than their own, they can also be charged with a felony for forgery.

“Fraudulent is fraudulent,” Perry said. “You need to ask yourselves: ‘Is it worth it when it happens?’ And it will happen.”

Some students, however, said the crackdown will not stop those under 21 from drinking, it will just change their habits.

“I have a feeling (students) will just use their fakes at liquor stores and just drink at home,” Weinberg junior Lisa Ferrara said.