NYPD Calls on Public to Help to Put a Stop to Illegal Use of Fireworks Following Complaints

Paula Liu
By Paula Liu
June 22, 2020US News
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NYPD Calls on Public to Help to Put a Stop to Illegal Use of Fireworks Following Complaints
A man watches fireworks in Kansas City, Mo., on July 3, 2017. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

The New York Police Department is calling on the public for help to put an end to illegal fireworks that have been lit in the past couple of weeks amid complaints, according to multiple reports.

Fox News reported that there have been multiple reports of fireworks being lit, and more even more in the most recent few days. Since fireworks can seriously hurt someone, police are asking local residents to help report individuals who have illegally handled fireworks.

“If you use fireworks, you or someone else can seriously get hurt. To anonymously report the delivery, sale, or storage of illegal fireworks, we encourage members of the public to call 911 for crimes in progress or 311 to report information,” Denise Moroney, a detective at the New York Police Department said in a statement given to Fox News.

There had been a total of 6,385 complaints about fireworks between June 1 to June 19, which is a stark contrast from last year around this time, Gothamist reported. That is 236 times more than the 27 complaints that 311 received last year.

According to the news outlet, it was on Juneteenth that authorities reported receiving the bulk of the fireworks complaints. There were 1,689 complaints in New York City recorded on Juneteenth, or June 19. Close behind was June 18 with 1,221 complaints, June 17 with 983 complaints, and June 17 with 755 complaints.

However, these numbers haven’t been confirmed by the NYPD, according to Fox News.

Furthermore, Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough president, said that these particular fireworks aren’t the regular ones that normal buyers of fireworks would use, like the simple firecrackers or the little toy-type rockets.

Adams said that they’re sophisticated and elaborate, and are a cause of great concern with both him and the public who might be affected by the fireworks.

“When you see large displays along Brooklyn and in Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, you’re seeing sophisticated type fireworks displays that can be extremely dangerous in the hands of wrong people,” Adams told the Gothamist.

He also said that it’s important to be able to educate people on the dangers of illegal fireworks but added he doesn’t want that to lead to massive arrests of people who have fireworks.

“If it reaches a point that is severely dangerous and these are high stockpile of fireworks, [the police] should confiscate those,” Adams told the newspaper. “You want everyday people to talk to the people in their community.”

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