The sale of fireworks from permanent structures became legal in the state of Iowa beginning June 1 this year, with sales from temporary structures permitted starting June 13. Saturday was the final day for legal sales statewide.
Perry Police Sergeant Jim Archer reported the number of complaints fielded by the department more than doubled this summer over previous years.
“Last year we received 20 calls between June 20 and July 5 — which included 13 calls on July 4 alone — while we had 49 total calls this year between June 20 and July 5,” Archer said. “It was legal to shoot them off, under the proper restrictions, this Fourth of July, so we had only four calls on the fourth this year, and I think that is because everyone knew it was okay to do it then.”
Fireworks were allowed to be discharged within the city limits of Perry from 4-11 p.m. on July 4. They were not allowed to be used on any public street or sidewalk or in any park or cemetery.
In addition, they could not be fired off within 200 yards of the hospital or a senior care facility and were not to be discharged “by persons over the legal alcohol limit or under the influence of a drug or narcotic.”
The city imposed a $500 fine on those found guilty of violating the ordinance.
Hearing or seeing fireworks being launched or set off is one thing, but actually catching someone committing the act is quite another, Archer admitted.
“It is very difficult to enforce,” he said, “because it is not illegal to simply possess fireworks, just to shoot them off in violation of the restrictions.”
That would require a police officer witnessing the discharge. A group could be standing in an open yard with a pile of fireworks, but unless they were actually setting them off, they would not be in violation.
Archer said he was not surprised at the number of calls because the ease of purchasing fireworks was bound to increase the number of people in possession of them.
“I think the real difference is not so much in how many more calls we received but in the kinds of calls they were,” he said. “In the past, it would be simple things like firecrackers or bottle rockets, something like that. This year, most of the calls we received for were bigger rockets and explosives, for what you could call more ‘serious’ fireworks.”
Archer said the chief concern of the department was for the safety of those using fireworks, not to spoil anyone’s good time.
“What none of us wanted was to be called out because somebody got hurt,” he said, “and so far as I know, we didn’t have any of those calls.”
