When Bethel Park police responded to a neighbor's complaint about a noisy party earlier this month, they came upon a disturbing scene.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Officer Frank Marks in the office of Bethel Park Magisterial District Judge Robert Wyda: "There were several persons clearly under the age of twenty-one in possession of alcohol running throughout the residence."

An adult was "holding a highly intoxicated juvenile ... under the shower in an attempt to revive her," Officer Marks wrote.

The girl, who was 17 years old, according to the affidavit, eventually was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The adult residents -- Patricia Paul and Roby Kessler-- the affidavit said, "both voluntarily admitted that they held the party for Paul's [18-year-old] son and allowed alcohol to be consumed by all parties present."

Ms. Paul and Mr. Roby were arrested and transported Downtown to county Night Court on Nov. 1, where they each were charged with one count of selling or furnishing alcohol to minors and one count of corruption of minors.

On Monday, the two waived their preliminary hearings, and the case will continue in Common Pleas Court.

Five adults younger than the legal drinking age and three juveniles also were cited on charges of underage drinking and had their driver's licenses suspended for 90 days.

In Bethel Park, a municipality with roughly 33,000 people, underage drinking arrests jumped from 52 in 2006 to 93 in 2007 and they stand at 77 so far this year.

The town and school district have been working aggressively in providing programs for both students and parents. In May, a public forum brought together concerned residents, public health officials and law enforcement agents.

The high school has a resource officer who works with the local magisterial district judge's office on diversion programs for first-time offenders.

If guidance begins at home, officers say there is still work to be done. The recent arrests at the party, some said, are worthy of public embarrassment.

"If I found parents supplying alcohol, I would blast that on our [community] Web site," said Castle Shannon Chief Harold Lane, who applauded Bethel Park's handling of the incident.

"If they're that proud that they think it's all right to serve alcohol to minors, they should have their names out there," she said.

"We teach our kids they have to be held accountable for their actions. Well, it starts with the parents," Bethel Park Chief John Mackey said.

"I don't think anybody's community standards would find that acceptable."

Teenage drinking is nothing new, but the concept of serving alcohol at home is somewhat more prevalent, local police say.

"We are finding that the younger people, once they're leaving the household, are getting apartments and, of course, they're having their friends over," said Chief Lane.

"Some treat their apartment like a dorm room," he said.

The number of incidents of underage patrons using fake identification in bars appears to be waning, at least in places other than college towns.

"It's hard to fake an ID any more," said Dormont Chief Russell McKibben. "With computer links to PennDOT, you can spot a fake pretty easily."

"A lot of places have purchased scanners [to detect forgeries]. Owners want to protect their [liquor] licenses; they're pretty responsible," Chief Lane said.

"Out here, we haven't really had any instances I can recall of [minors] being served in local establishments," said Sgt. William Black, of the Elizabeth Township police. "We have about 25 square miles in Elizabeth Township ... a lot of rural area, housing areas. Most kids get together in a field or the woods."

In 2006, Elizabeth Township had 40 underage drinking arrests. It had 29 last year and 44 so far in 2008.

Numbers are fairly static, but Sgt. Black said he believes the police force has made valuable headway in cracking down on alcohol abuse.

An $11,000 grant from Liquor Control Enforcement allowed the department to buy three portable breath analyzer devices and pay overtime for officers over the past two years.

The officers were able to be more visible, both at community functions and in restaurants and bars serving alcohol, he said.

In Mt. Lebanon, underage drinking arrests this year -- 84 as of Oct. 31 -- are down dramatically from last year's 173.

The difference, according to Deputy Chief Ken Truver, is due in part to an underage drinking awareness program run out of the department's crime prevention office.

Underage arrest numbers are fairly static in Dormont: 15 in 2006, 17 in 2007 and 13 this year.

"We don't see them like we used to," Dormont Chief McKibben said. "I don't even have to run the numbers to tell that they're down."

The town had 28 recorded underage drinking arrests in 2000, he said, noting that enrollment in the local school district has declined.

"There are a lot fewer kids at Keystone Oaks now," he said. "Dormont is an older community."

Castle Shannon figures aren't easy to break down because they're listed by incident, which doesn't indicate whether one of 15 arrests were made at a party. In addition, the underage charge is folded into incidents with more serious offenses, such as driving under the influence.

In 2006, Castle Shannon had five incidents, with six each in 2007 and 2008.

Sometimes, police said, neighbors' complaints about teenagers' loud parties lead to more than just telling everyone to keep the noise down.

"I guess if you're involved in [the party], it doesn't sound loud to you," Bethel Park Chief Mackey said.

"You knock on the door, come in and say, 'By the way, what's that keg doing in the middle of the floor?' "