St. Paul police target illegal fireworks use

You know it's 4th of July weekend, when you hear that unmistakable 'pop.'

Click here for the Twin Cities Fireworks Guide 2009 by Metromix

"You don't know if it is a gun call or a firework call," says St. Paul police officer Chris Byrne.

Police in St. Paul will always respond to both types of calls. But this weekend, if you've set off an illegal firework, you may come face to face with Officer Byrne.

With 15 years patrolling St. Paul's eastern district, Officer Byrne is on special fireworks detail.

"The number one priority obviously is the community to keep them safe," says Officer Byrne.

For the last three 4th of July holidays, a squad car in each of St. Paul's police districts has been dedicated to responding to fireworks calls. The special detail has been in operation since Wednesday with 80 calls since then. And while officers still respond to any emergency, the spike in the use of illegal fireworks can be draining.

"It is an incredible draw of police resources that we certainly would like to be devoting to those kinds of things like drunk drivers or domestic violence or other crimes of violence," says St. Paul police Sgt. Paul Schnell.

Officer Byrne reminds people that while you can buy them in Wisconsin, anything that blows up or flies in the air is illegal in Minnesota.

"They'll spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on this stuff and end up getting it all confiscated," says Officer Byrne.

They are expensive and dangerous, potentially causing injury. Earlier this week, a St. Paul house caught fire, likely caused authorities say by kids playing with fireworks.

"We're talking about really highly volatile fireworks that have an incredible explosive power that could be deadly," says Sgt. Schnell.

Last year, officers on special fireworks detail responded to nearly 600 fireworks related calls. This year, they'll be patrolling through at least Saturday and expect to respond to just as many calls.

If you get caught with illegal fireworks, police will write you a ticket to appear in court. You are then required to go in front of a judge who will hand down your sentence which can be up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 fine.

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