ILLEGAL FIREWORKS Cops will not look other way
Local police say they will take action, even on July 4th.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Make no mistake about it -- local police have a short fuse when it comes to illegal fireworks.
Some people might think police do not enforce Ohio fireworks laws, especially around the Fourth of July. But three area police departments, for example, said they take the issue seriously.
Ohio law states that "sparklers, trick noisemakers and novelties" are the only type of consumer fireworks permitted to be set off in the state. When any other consumer fireworks are bought, a waiver must be signed agreeing to take the items out of the state within 48 hours.
"Display fireworks" may not be set off without a display permit.
Police protocol
So how do police handle the use of these display fireworks to celebrate the holiday?
In Niles, Chief Bruce Simeone said people will be cited if they are caught setting off fireworks without the proper permit.
"It doesn't matter if it's July 4 or not," he said. "We get hundreds of complaints around this time of year because of the noise, the damage fireworks bring and the annoyance factor. It's really simple: You are not allowed to shoot off fireworks without the permit.
"We will not ignore it, and we do our best in answering all of the calls."
Lt. Don Beeson of Salem police said if his department catches offenders using illegal fireworks, a warning is given the first time. If the offense is repeated, an arrest may be made.
Beeson said the problem lies with the sale of the fireworks themselves.
"If they aren't allowed to be set off in the state, why sell them in the state?" he said. "It's like telling a kid he can buy cigarettes but he's now allowed to smoke them. People want to set the fireworks off because they spent money to get them. But they can't."
Company stance
Bill Weimer of Phantom Fireworks on Martin Luther King Boulevard said the company sells products in accordance with state laws. But he also feels those laws are outdated.
"Ohio laws are what they are," he said. "But for the state Legislature to ban fireworks because of safety issues is ridiculous. They don't have a ban on handguns, they don't have a ban on cigarettes, they don't ban automobiles that kill people.
"Law enforcement may turn a blind eye to fireworks on July 4, but only in response to the demand of the people. People want fireworks," he said.
Warnings
Like Salem, Austintown police give warnings to people who set off illegal fireworks. But they also will not hesitate to confiscate the fireworks, Lt. Mark Durkin said.
"Responding to fireworks calls takes us away from more important things," he said. "If we catch someone making a production with fireworks, we may take them and give them to the fire department to dispose of."
Durkin also said he doesn't understand why fireworks are sold in Ohio when they are illegal.
"If you buy them here, you want to use them here," he said. "People buy them here and say they are going to Pennsylvania to set them off. People buy them in Pennsylvania and say they are coming here to set them off. It doesn't make sense."
rmeyer@vindy.com