Officers 'Aggressively Looking' For Illegal Fireworks Activity
By Jeff Todd
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - Commerce City is joining other Colorado cities in cracking down on illegal fireworks this summer.
"We've had people who have called us who said they have to literally hold water hoses with water running because they're worried about their houses burning down," said Commander Dennis Flynn with Commerce City Police.
In July 2016, the police responded to 259 fireworks calls, in 2017 that jumped to 369. The City Council approved an emergency ordinance increasing the fine from $100 to $500 for a first offense and $750 for a second ticket.
"Now we can go out and tell people, listen, there are some ramifications to this type of illegal behavior," Commander Flynn said. "We'll have officers out there aggressively looking for people out there using these fireworks."
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.