5,000 pounds and counting: Las Vegas police cracking down on fireworks

Local law enforcement agencies have begun their yearly crackdown on illegal Fourth of July fireworks.

Just since June 20, the Metropolitan Police Department has seized around 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks and cited nearly 60 people, Metro Capt. Jonathan Riddle said during a news conference Thursday.

The crackdown is part of a partnership among Clark County, Metro and the city of Las Vegas to promote safety at Fourth of July celebrations.

In Clark County, only safe-and-sane fireworks are legal to use during select holidays, including July 4, and must be labeled as “Safe and Sane.”

Sales of “Safe and Sane” fireworks will begin Saturday and continue through July 4 with more than 160 licensed vendors selling legal fireworks at TNT and Phantom Fireworks booths around the county. Fireworks sold by those vendors have been tested by the Fire Prevention Association of Nevada to ensure their safety, according to Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Dailey.

Such safe-and-sane fireworks typically stay low to the ground, while illegal fireworks often shoot into the air and explode, Dailey said. The unpredictability of illegal fireworks make them dangerous in the arid desert climate, said Riddle, who is also bureau commander of Metro’s Northeast Area Command.

“You can’t account for where each spark goes, and it only takes a small spark to light off something that could perpetuate into something that might be significantly more impactful to a family or a loved one or your neighbor,” he said during the news conference.

Fines for possession of illegal fireworks range from $500 to $10,000, depending on the weight of the confiscated items, Dailey said.

Riddle said Metro has patrol and covert units across the Las Vegas Valley confiscating illegal fireworks through Independence Day, and Dailey added that fire inspectors will accompany Metro officers in taking possession of illegal fireworks.

Law enforcement also will use data collected through ispyfireworks.com, a website where people can report illegal firework sightings, to inform where to allocate patrols come July 4. Last year, the site logged over 11,000 complaints.

Riddle reminded those seeking fireworks to use only those marked as “Safe and Sane” and to report any illegal firework sightings to 311 or ispyfireworks.com.

Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.