Fewer people call police about fireworks this year

Police in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City received hundreds of complaint calls about fireworks in the four days around the Fourth holiday this year, though the totals were down from previous years.

It’s illegal for individuals to set off fireworks in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, though people can fire off consumer fireworks in some surrounding cities and in unincorporated Linn County during certain hours.

A state law amended two years ago made it illegal for cities to ban the sale of fireworks or limit their sale to certain areas, like industrial zones. But individual cities and counties still can restrict their discharge.

In Cedar Rapids, police received 410 fireworks-related calls for service between Saturday and Tuesday.

In the same time period last year, police had 426 calls for service, down from 595 in 2021 and 750 in 2020.

Police issued 11 citations for illegal fireworks usage in the city over the four days, the same number as last year, but down from 15 in 2021 and 24 in 2020.

Iowa City saw similar decreases.

Police responded to 151 fireworks-related calls for service between Friday night and Tuesday night, down from 236 in 2022, but up from 135 in 2021. The city saw its most fireworks-related in 2020, with 373 calls.

Cedar Rapids City Council member Dale Todd said he thinks the decreased number of calls don’t necessarily represent a decrease in illegal firework usage. It could be people are simply reporting the explosions less often or finding ways to block out the noise, he said.

“I think people are frustrated,” he said. “They know how hard it is for police officers to write a citation, so they simply give up calling.”

Many of the calls for service don’t result in citations, and police have difficulty locating where the fireworks were set off.

Of the 151 calls this weekend in Iowa City, for example, police were unable to locate fireworks in 73 locations. Of the locations that were found, police wrote eight citations and gave 36 verbal warnings.

Between 2020 and 2022, Iowa City police wrote only one fireworks citation but gave 66 verbal warnings in 2020, 12 in 2021 and 9 in 2022.

  Buy Photo

In Marion, where fireworks can be set off between noon and 11 p.m. July 4, police were called 43 times, and one person who was injured by fireworks.

That total is down from 72 calls in 2022, 78 calls in 2021, and 71 calls in 2020.

Police wrote two citations this year for illegal fireworks, but lacks the numbers from previous years.

Using fireworks illegally can result in fines of at least $250, according to Iowa Code, but cities can impose a higher fine. Cedar Rapids, for example, fines people $625 for setting off commercial fireworks.

“The impact that it has on the elderly, veterans, people with special needs, children and pets is harmful,” council member Todd said.

“It also says a lot about us as a community in terms of civility and taking care of one’s neighbors,” Todd said. “When you have complete disregard for the impact that your fascination with blowing stuff up has on your neighbors, that’s a sad commentary on us.”

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com