SALEM — Salem Police said this has been the worst year in terms of the number of fireworks complaints they have received throughout the city.
Since May 1, the Salem Police Department has received 98 complaints for illegal fireworks, according to Salem Police Capt. Frederick Ryan.
During the same period last year, police only received five fireworks complaints, he said.
“This year has been substantially worse than previous years,” said Ryan. “It is up exponentially for sure. This is definitely our worst year for fireworks complaints.”
He attributed this year’s increase to the ease of access to fireworks in New Hampshire and people making up for “lost time” after being stuck inside for so long due to COVID-19 restrictions.
But Ryan said numbers decreased this past weekend after the department increased its plainclothes police presence and started making arrests.
This past weekend, police received 31 fireworks complaints, which is about half of the 63 that were received the previous weekend, June 12-14, Ryan said.
“It definitely helps to have some extra officers out there in unmarked units,” said Ryan. “We have them in the areas where the complaints come in and try not to use the radio. We try to respond as covertly as possible.”
Police made arrests over the weekend and have been issuing numerous city ordinance violations. The arrests are based on repeated offenses and the use of commercial fireworks. Offenders have been charged with disturbing the peace, Ryan said.
City officials are also cracking down on illegal fireworks use in the city.
The city of Salem has launched an effort to curb illegal fireworks, which includes a public education campaign, anonymous reporting tool, targeted fire interventions, and increased local fines.
Mayor Kim Driscoll will file an ordinance with the city council at its next meeting, on Thursday, that would triple the fines for the detonation of illegal fireworks. If the ordinance is approved, fines would increase from $100 to $300, according to the city website.
“Like many communities in Massachusetts, the city of Salem has experienced an increased volume of illegal fireworks complaints,” reads a post on the city website.
“Not only are fireworks disruptive, they can cause real harm to children, seniors, those living with trauma, and pets, not to mention posing a safety hazard to those nearby when they are detonated and an increased risk of accidental fire.”
After the launch of the anonymous reporting tool, Ryan said the city received more than 200 complaints over a two-day period.
Ryan is in favor of raising fines, saying that increased punishment could help deter the use of illegal fireworks.
“We have received the complaints and we’ve responded with everything we had to get them down,” he said.
Residents can use the form at www.salem.com/fireworks to report an instance of illegal fireworks and to view a crowd-sourced map of other reports.
