To parents hosting after-prom and high school graduation parties in the coming weeks: Being "cool" could carry a hefty price tag for those who live in Butler County.

Law enforcement officials are launching a crackdown on adults who furnish alcohol to kids younger than 21, and the penalty could reach tens of thousands of dollars for even one party at which underage drinking takes place.

"A lot of parents think that they can be the 'cool' mom or dad and allow alcohol at a party and take care of the problem by collecting the car keys at the door. Well, the fact is, it's illegal to provide alcohol to minors and doing so sends a bad message,'' said Butler County Detective Scott Roskovski.

He's the point person in a program that will allow tipsters to anonymously report underage drinking -- whether it's anticipated at an upcoming party or occurring at a party that's going on -- and that tip will be forwarded to local or state police for immediate investigation.

"We like the anonymity of it," said Dale Pinkerton, chairman of the Butler County commissioners. "Sure, parents can call the police and report an underage drinking party that's going on or that their kid is invited to for the weekend, but then they worry that their kids are going to get in trouble with their buddies. This way, no one knows who made that call.''

The cost to the county will be minimal, Detective Roskovski said, noting that Penn Telecom will install a toll-free line that will cost the county 5 cents per minute per call.

He hopes the line will be operating by May, in time for after-prom and high school graduation parties. The telephone number for the new line has not yet been established.

Mr. Pinkerton said his office backs the effort and believes the hot line project holds a lot of potential.

"We've got a big percentage of the people in our jail in there because of drug and alcohol-related problems. It's a huge cost to the county and a huge cost to the community,'' Mr. Pinkerton said.

"This isn't to try to get parents in trouble, but we've got to nip this problem in the bud,'' he added.

Detective Roskovski said the science supports the belief that the root of drug and alcohol addiction rests in childhood exposure. And, though he's been a detective in the county district attorney's office for about a decade, even a seasoned law enforcer such as himself has been shocked by the young age at which children are beginning to consume alcohol.

"It's simply unbelievable: Some of these kids are starting to drink in elementary school,'' he said.

In fact, during recent town hall meetings hosted by the county's drug and alcohol office in the Sarver section of Buffalo and in Slippery Rock, Detective Roskovski and Mr. Pinkerton learned the trend is toward younger and younger exposure to alcohol and that younger drinking leads to more drinking and then drug use.

"There is a definite connection [between alcoholism and drug addiction] and these younger kids drinking,'' Detective Roskovski recounted.

The detective, District Attorney Rich Goldinger and Mr. Pinkerton discussed the evidence and decided that something needed to be done "and not in six months or next year. Right away,'' Detective Roskovski said.

As coordinator of the county's Driving Under the Influence Task Force, he volunteered to be the point man for the alcohol hot line project.

As such, he will be responsible for monitoring and screening hot line tips and forwarding those tips to state police in Butler and local police departments. No calls to the line will be tracked and names will not be taken.

The state law regarding underage drinking has been on the books since 1988. Upon conviction, the misdemeanor criminal count calls for hefty penalties that "cannot" be reduced by any judge in any courtroom: $1,000 for the first kid found drinking and $2,500 per every other underage drinker after the first.

"It doesn't take long to add up to someone losing their home,'' Detective Roskovski said.

He acknowledged that parents who are host to underage drinking parties in their homes often believe they're heading off a potential problem. "They think that they're creating a safer environment for their kids because at least they know where they are and that they aren't driving. But, what they've got to realize is that they're potentially helping to create addicts,'' he said.

"Parents need to send a clear message that underage drinking is wrong. It is illegal,'' he added.

From a practical standpoint, the detective said he is poised to work out any kinks as they develop. "I don't know if I'll be bombarded with calls or if they'll be few and far between,'' he said.

The county has been operating for about 10 years a toll-free drug hot line for anonymous tips and it receives only a handful of calls of months. The number is 1-866-363-3784, or 1-866-enddrug.

"I think our approach to this is to get it started and see how it develops. We're hoping that the problem will be deterred just by word getting around that we're doing this,'' he said.

Police who respond to the underage drinking tips will be asked to simply drive by the location where a party is said to be taking place.

The usual standards for entry to a house -- probable cause such as seeing or hearing something suspicious -- will have to be followed.

"Police won't just be barging into people's homes based on an anonymous tip. But they will be investigating,'' the detective said.