Eighteen citations for illegal fireworks use in Kyle city limits were handed out during the New Year’s holiday, which was part of the city’s effort to crack down on the practice.
All told, Kyle Police officials reported 155 calls on New Year’s Eve, with 66 of those relating to illegal fireworks use.
In 2017, the City of Kyle and the Kyle Police Department took a stricter stance on the usage of fireworks within city limits. The crackdown started before July 4, 2017 and continued for New Year’s Eve festivities.
“Historically our city gets a lot of complaints about fireworks, the noise is a nuisance, and first and foremost, it’s a fire hazard, so the city took a stance and said they’re going to take stricter enforcement,” Captain Pedro Hernandez of the Kyle Police Department said.
On July 4, 2017, the city brought in extra reinforcements to help enforce the fireworks code, including additional police officers and employees from Public Works and Parks and Recreation.
On New Year’s Eve, the police department brought in five police officers, three Public Works employees, and the manager of Parks and Recreation to help monitor fireworks usage in the city.
Fines for citations can range from $200 up to a maximum of $2,000 for a second violation.
Part of the initiative to crack down on fireworks within the city limits also included educating the public about the city ordinance.
The city and police department circulated the information on social media and their websites and newsletters. The city also sent an alert through CodeRed, its reverse 911 system, regarding its ban on fireworks.
City employees also helped create a Youtube video to educate residents of the repercussions of shooting off fireworks within city limits.
“I think we did a pretty thorough job of putting the message [of the fireworks ordinance] out well in advance and informing the public and our citizens that it was a violation and that we were going to be writing citations,” Hernandez said.
Despite efforts to circulate information about the stricter stance on fireworks usage, there was still some resistance on social media.
“People enjoy doing fireworks on New Year’s and 4th of July, and people expect that they should have that right to do it,” Hernandez said. “But it’s just about education, once the officer explains why we’re taking a stronger stance, most people understand.”
The cities of Buda, Austin and San Marcos also have similar city ordinances that ban the use of fireworks within city limits.
