As young adults head off to college a statewide effort has been launched aimed at educating bar owners and staff of licensed establishments, including in St. Lawrence County, about new security features on driver's licenses, permits, and ID cards.

A new electronic brochure will be distributed to thousands of bar owners across the state providing a description of the advanced security features in these forms of identification to make it easier for owners and staff at establishments with liquor licenses to verify them and identify fake IDs.

“The new security features embedded in New York’s redesigned driver’s licenses and identification cards are second to none and we’re looking to help responsible bar owners and their employees spot fakes and forgeries,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “As a new college semester is about to begin, we must work together to keep underage New Yorkers out of the bars and out of harm’s way.”

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and State Liquor Authority teamed up to create the brochure that outlines security features on the new ID cards, which DMV began distributing in 2013. More than half of the cards in circulation are the more secure, redesigned version, but the old style remains valid until the expiration date. The new security features, which Cuomo's office claims "are among the most advanced in the nation," are resistant to tampering and designed to prevent identity theft.

Motor vehicle investigators work closely with local police, state police and sheriff’s departments across the state in underage drinking enforcement, targeting facilities that are identified as the “last drink location” for people under 21 and arrested for DWI, including concert venues and bars across New York. Those under 21 are given a vertical ID card, making it easier for bar owners and those who check IDs to identify who is underage.

Revamped, state-issued ID cards include the following features:

· Anyone under 21 years old is issued a vertical card.

· Highly detailed ultra-violet graphics cover the front surface of the card, including a map of New York State, starbursts in the left corner, and fine line graphics in the clear window.

· Polycarbonate material: The cards have a unique metallic sound when dropped on a hard surface.

· The photo is laser-engraved into the card on a background of fine line graphics.

· The raised lettering on the ID number, birth and expiration dates and signature can be felt.

· Anti-copy ink colors and rainbow printing: The card is manufactured using fine line color graphics that are difficult to reproduce on a color copier or photo printer.

· Secondary photo in clear window: The secondary photo is burned into the car with laser engraving. The clear window has clean, beveled edges.

· Variable wave pattern: The “wave” features the license holder’s name as a continuous string of variable sized text, which transitions through the clear secondary photo window.

· Back of the card: The signature and address change boxes on the back of the card have a matte finish that is flush with the surface.