Dearborn Police Note Uptick in 4th of July Fireworks Violations

Dearborn, MI — The Dearborn Police Department promised a zero tolerance approach to fireworks violations, and they made good on their pledge.

From May 27 to July 6 of 2015, police issued 19 citations; during the same period this year, they issued 49, the city said in a news release.

In 2015, police received 672 calls for service compared to this year’s 463. That’s a decrease of more than 30 percent.

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An additional 18 patrols were assigned this year from Saturday, July 2, through Tuesday, July 5 to address illegal fireworks use.

The Police Department advised residents of fireworks rules through social media resources such as NIXLE, Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor.com, according to Police Chief Ronald Haddad. The City’s Department of Public Information also widely distributed messages about fireworks rules.

Severely dry weather in the region prompted Fire Chief Joseph Murray to issue another warning regarding the dangers of fireworks.

Haddad noted that among the various citations issued to keep residents safe, one was written July 5 after an officer witnessed a parent allowing an 8-year-old child to ignite a powerful firework that exploded 40 feet above the ground.

Another citation was issued July 6, a day already illegal for fireworks, to an individual who lit a firework on a public road, which is always illegal. The man who was cited admitted he knew it was illegal after learning of a NIXLE message sent to residents, but he did it anyway.

“Our first priority is always safety, and while we want our residents to enjoy fireworks within the provisions of the state law, we don’t want to see any one hurt,” Haddad said

“To help reduce that chance, on top of increasing our educational outreach, we had extra patrols, who also responded to residents who were seeing and hearing illegal fireworks use. We took each and every call seriously, and our numbers show our commitment to acting when we could,” he said.

Residents are reminded that under state law, use of consumer fireworks is restricted to the day before, the day of and the day after a national holiday. They can never be ignited from public roads and schools, and fireworks users are liable for any injury or property damage that occurs. It is always illegal to ignite fireworks so that the debris falls on someone else’s property, unless they have given permission.

Image credit: Epic Fireworks via Flickr / Creative Commons