To prepare for illegal fireworks use during Independence Day and beyond, some south and southwest suburban police departments posted signs warning of up to $750 fines for those breaking the law.
Villages including Matteson, Park Forest, South Chicago Heights, Richton Park, Lansing and Blue Island posted reminders on social media or physical signs warning of police enforcement to violating Illinois and municipal laws prohibiting fireworks.
Matteson police Chief Michael Jones said after struggling with staffing shortages in past years, the Police Department this year has enough officers and decided to begin a larger campaign to increase visibility and understanding the laws regarding lighting off fireworks.
“We do the best we can knowing that the amount of officers on the street (and) our call volume typically doubles, mainly because of fireworks complaints,” Jones said.
He said while they are certainly not the first department to initiate this sort of advertising, he noticed the strategy catching on throughout the region.
“I know several agencies locally have asked us where we got our signs made,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of sharing in terms of enforcement, ways we’re enforcing our ordinances.”
Many municipalities have mirrored each other’s fine structure of issuing warnings and smaller fines of $50 to $100 for first offenses that can increase to up to $750, depending on severity and more violations, Jones said.
The Park Forest Police Department began posting signs after noticing Matteson’s. Police Chief Brian Rzyski said he understands people lighting fireworks around the holiday rarely have bad intentions, but said use can get out of hand and disrupt those around them.
“For the most part, we understand that people are celebrating and they’re lighting off the fireworks; however, those fireworks sometimes get misdirected,” Rzyski said. “They oftentimes go off prematurely. And those are really our concerns, it’s really just to keep our community safe.”
The Lansing Police Department referenced in its Facebook statement a recent fireworks malfunction that injured seven people in Griffith, Indiana, where setting off fireworks is legal.
“We cannot stress enough: Fireworks are illegal in the State of Illinois and the Village of Lansing,” the statement posted Monday read. “While neighboring states may have more lax regulations on the sale and usage of fireworks, possession and usage are not allowed in Illinois.”
Illinoisans are able to buy certain approved consumer fireworks such as cones, including showers of sparks, fountains and repeaters, as well as mines, comets, tubes, shells, fancy florals and parachutes.
However, villages like Park Forest said their ordinances are more strict, only allowing for novelty effects such as sparklers, snake or glow worm pellets, smoke devices and party poppers.
“I think that the public may not be 100% aware that they are (illegal) since you could buy them,” Rzyski said. “I think maybe people in the community may feel ‘well, since I could buy them, I could light them off.’ Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com