Tow trucks and night-vision equipment are some of the more unusual tools employed by the Stop Teen Alcohol Risk Team (START) in Washington County, Vt., the Barre Times-Argus reported April 30.

The rapid-response START team is called out whenever a teen drinking party is suspected or reported. The night-vision goggles are used to track partygoers who flee when a home is raided, so they don't end up lost in the woods in cold weather or get behind the wheel of a car after drinking. Tow trucks are called in to take away the cars of party attendees who park illegally.

Both teens and adults who knowingly or unwittingly play host to underage drinking parties are targets of the START team. Parents are often contacted by the team when officers get wind of an upcoming party.

Officers recently prevented one planned party from going off simply by driving around the neighborhood when guests were scheduled to start arriving. Another was thwarted when START members convinced the host that he was better off forfeiting the $1,000 in beer he purchased than facing the penalties for selling alcohol to underage youth.

"We're building a reputation that if you're having a party, you're probably going to see us," said Martin Prevost, a Vermont Department of Liquor Control investigator and START team leader.