Des Moines city councilperson wants to rethink how city enforces fireworks rules during July 4 holiday
With hundreds of fireworks-related calls to police and damage to city property over this year's Fourth of July holiday, At Large Councilmember Connie Boesen says Des Moines needs to rethink its strategy when it comes to how it enforces its firework ordinances.
Among Boesen's ideas: bolstering police by hiring off-duty officers to be able to handle fireworks calls and bringing more awareness of Des Moines rules prohibiting consumer fireworks.
Boesen shared her resolutions with City Manager Scott Sanders and council members in an informal conversation this week in the hopes actions can be taken before next year's celebrations, she told the Des Moines Register Thursday.
"My proposal was challenging them, saying what can we do differently?" she said.
Boesen's proposal comes in response to phone calls and emails she's gotten from residents across the city voicing their concerns about the fireworks and the lack of action on the city's part.
"You hear from the neighbors and you hear some of their stories — people going to their basement for two nights because of the noise, their animals can't handle it," she said. "We heard from ... people who have PTSD because (the noise is) nonstop and it goes on until way past, in some cases, 11 o'clock."
Discussions among the council regarding fireworks response will likely begin next February or March, Des Moines communication manager Al Setka confirmed.
More than 600 fireworks-related calls to police
Iowa lawmakers reversed a statewide ban on fireworks in 2017, though each city across the state has its own ordinances.
And this year, Iowa legislators changed zoning laws related to retail sales of fireworks, preventing local government from further restricting where it allows fireworks sales and from banning the sale of fireworks in a city or county even if their unlicensed use is illegal in that jurisdiction.
Fireworks-related incidents are already hard for police to keep in check, Boesen says. And the new law adds another layer of confusion for residents and challenges for police.
In Des Moines, the use of consumer fireworks within the city limits is prohibited and carries a $625 fine. The Des Moines Police Department received 622 fireworks-related calls from July 1-4 this year, according to police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek. No fireworks-related citations were issued.
"The fireworks citations are a challenge," Parizek said. "If we don't witness the act, we need a person willing to be a witness in court should the citation be challenged. Most calls come in anonymously, and because of the volume of high-priority crime reports, by the time we are able to respond to the fireworks call, the event is over."
More: Fireworks shattered two windows at Des Moines' Central Library over Fourth of July weekend
Parizek said the department received 1,707 fireworks-related calls in 2021, 834 of which came between July 1-5. In 2020, there were 2,769 fireworks-related calls, 1,079 of which were made from July 1-5.
Police also are investigating the shattering of two tall windows at downtown Des Moines' Central Library over Fourth of July weekend, pointing to fireworks as the likely culprit. Each pane will cost $10,000 to replace.
'People are just frustrated'
Boesen said emails, as well as phone calls, from residents across Des Moines, landed in her inbox during the holiday weekend about fireworks disturbances.
Some residents told her they tried to address the source of the problem themselves, approaching their firework-lighting neighbors. But neighbors were often unreceptive, Boesen said.
"They got some pushback," she said. "You try to go over and talk, but I think people are just frustrated."
More: The fireworks shortage is over, but prices have exploded this year
A large problem, Boesen said, is also the amount of trash left behind by fireworks throwers in the city's parks.
Des Moines Parks and Recreation director Ben Page said the parks see a lot of disruption and litter during Fourth of July weekend.
Out of 77 parks in the city, 20 to 25 had "significant" amounts of trash left over from the holiday weekend this year, he said. Pete Crivaro and Ewing parks were among those with the most trash, but at least one in just about every neighborhood was hit.
Parks staff and a few hundred volunteers helped pick up spent fireworks debris in the days following the holiday. Unlike previous years, damages to the property were relatively tame, including burn marks on park pavement, Page said. The damage costs weren't available.
"What people don't think about — besides the fact they know better than to do this — is these are the same sites where kids are going to play flag football and soccer, and fly kites," he said.
Taxpayers should be upset about the damages to the parks system, Page added.
"To see the faces of my team when I have to come in and tell them 'Hey, all of our hard work to make these parks look beautiful for our community got destroyed in a single night by a bunch of idiots,' it's disheartening," he said.
More: Iowa's new fireworks law means more places to buy, but fire officials worry
Boesen's ideas to help stop the illegal use of fireworks include hiring off-duty police officers to handle fireworks calls and issue citations for violators. Another, bringing more awareness of Des Moines' rules prohibiting consumer fireworks, would include signage and public notices in advance.
She pointed to a drop in firework usage in Perry over the holiday this year after the city implemented similar tactics, but acknowledged Perry, with a population of about 7,600, is much smaller.
Boesen said her preliminary proposal was received well by others on the council and will be put on the list for items to reexamine next year, she said.
Virginia Barreda is a trending and general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Consumer fireworks are illegal in Des Moines but no citations in 2022
