Howard County police receive about one or two calls a week on their "party buster" hot line that takes tips about coming parties involving underage drinking, police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said.
Mark Heron, the county's alcohol enforcement officer, checks the phone line's voice mail every day. People can leave anonymous messages or include their names.
"Oftentimes, once word gets out that someone has tipped off the police, the party gets canceled," Llewellyn said. "Rumors spread pretty fast, and we'd rather have the party not happen at all. We think the line is serving our goal when that happens."
