The Fourth of July weekend is normally the busiest time of the year for us, occasionally eclipsed by the first home football game for the University of Nebraska/State Fair/Labor day weekend. It will be interesting to see how the move of the State Fair to Grand Island changes that dynamic. Here’s the particulars on fireworks complaints this year:
Monday, July 6, 2009
Things that go boom in the night
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13 comments:
I would guess that not only the well timed showers (especially on the 3rd) but also the overall cooler weather helped curtail the calls. When the weather is more comfortable, it takes a bit more for people to get hacked off about something like fireworks...or other things for that matter, I would imagine.
I'm curious, did other calls also go down? Like assault? or domestic violence? Or did the likely increased consumption of alcohol, despite the coolness, cause those to be typical numbers or even higher?
On an unrelated note... Thanks for the extra efforts by your department over this long weekend.
Or... maybe some of us read your blogs and/or the LJS and know that calling won't accomplish anything.
Yes, I must say the police did an excellent job this weekend considering all of the activities they had to deal with. There was quite the presence to keep things moving after the LTCG show which was helpful.
One suggestion, though, you might remind your officers to stand on the "white lines" when directing traffic instead of in the lane when they wave people past them, as it makes it harder to pass them safely when they're out in a lane.
I agree that the LPD did an outstanding job with all of the activities that were going on over the weekend.
One question - we witnessed several Ambulances trying to get through traffic downtown Saturday after the show. Was that identified as a significant problem?
Your story doesn't match that of Officer Flood according to the KOLN/KGIN web site. They report that fireworks complaints were up this year according to her. What gives?
I'm not terribly bothered by the fireworks, but if officers actually responded to all the complaints, it seems to me they should go ahead and write a citation while they are there. It seems highly unlikely that they only found 4 people with illegal fireworks (or setting them off outside of the legal times) out of several hundred (depending on which figures you want to use).
Sure, it would mean a little more work this time for the police and the courts, but I'd bet most of those cited would not be reoffending next year if the fine was high enough.
Steve:
Whoops. I cut off Sunday (July 5) at 0600 hours--a bad mistake. Looks like we actually had a small increase this year over last.
Trouble with enforcement is that nobody really gets fined--the people you can catch tend to be 12 year olds, and nothing is going to happen to them. In many cases, there's probably a parent who is complicit in those Black Cats! It would be foolish to clog up the juvenile docket with such cases.
Chief:
Like I said, it's no big deal to me either way. Maybe you need to treat fireworks complaints like you are considering doing with non-injury traffic accidents. I see no point in responding if nothing is going to be accomplished anyway.
Is it possible to cite the firework-allowing parent for maintaining a disorderly house? That wouldn't seem to even require that they actually possess any illegal fireworks themselves, just that the officer witnessed them allowing their youngster to light them off on or adjacent to their property. It'd be an interesting test case, if nothing else.
For ten years I have had to listen to my neighbors to the north light off the fireworks they bought probably in MS. Generally this would go on until well after 2 in the morning. Wel this year I got ahead of the game. I was'nt going to call LPD this year. I set up 8 1000 watt flood lamp, statigically placed them for maximum coverage where the guests would sit and at the stike of midnight; I said "let there be light"! The fireworks lasted about another min and thats when the wife came running laughing telling me it worked... I waited until the last car sped away and I turned off the lights. Needless to say, the neighbors gave me a few scowlly looks the next day but I think I got my point across and I didnt have to say a thing. I didnt have to make a call. I just got some well needed sleep. Pays to think outside the box!
Hmm, eight 1,000 watt floods. It's very unusual to have a single residential circuit that would support that. 100 amps, most likely, almost light industrial. Everyone look at your breaker boxes, see the ratings on the breakers, and then you'll see how believable you find the eight 1,000 watt floods thing.
You had neighbors go to Mississippi to get fireworks? That is dedication! BTW I did not see any LPD at the LTCG concert. Not sure I would give them too much credit for that. We enjoyed the show and it was peaceful. Thanks to LSO and UNLPD!
12:47-
What? Did you happen to see who was directing traffic for 50 or 60 thousand people in attendance?
NSP and LSO were being paid by the Univeristy to provide ther personnel inside Memorial Stadium. LPD was directing the traffic and the City was absorbing that cost without any reimbursement.
Lets see, hangout in the stadium and absorb the ambiance for a few hours of extra pay, or herd cats in the middle of a gridlocked intersection. Hmmm. I think I'll take door A.
Well, as a "cat", I again say thank you for the excellent job LPD did directing traffic on sat. A few people don't seem to understand they're supposed to obey the officer, not the light, but other than that it seemed pretty well controlled all things considered. And, with regards to the light issue, as Ron White always used to say... "you can't fix stupid"
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