Legal fireworks don’t cause more trouble
With fireworks now legal within McMinnville city limits, McMinnville Police Chief Joe Melton says there have been no more complaints than before, when fireworks could not be legally used in the city.
“People can legally shoot them now since the board legalized it,” Melton said. “But really, we’re not getting any more calls than we did before. I think the same people who were shooting them before are shooting them now. It’s just that they can do it legally this year.”
Melton said it is common to get fireworks calls in the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July.
“We’ve always got a lot of noise calls around this time of year,” Melton said. “Some officers say there have been a few more, some say it’s about the same. There’s a lot being shot in the city, but we’re going to try to bear with them until the fourth.”
As a rule of thumb, Melton said officers are tolerant of fireworks until 10 p.m., unless there is a complaint call. After 10 p.m., Melton wants those using fireworks to be considerate of others.
“What we’ll generally do is ask people to stop firing them if we get a complaint about it,” Melton said. “We hope people will be considerate and cut if off by 10 p.m. because folks are trying to sleep.”
Melton said if citizens are being annoyed by fireworks, they may call police. Although fireworks are legal, they are still covered under the city’s noise ordinance meaning the shooters can be asked to discontinue shooting in the area if they are disturbing nearby residents.
While fireworks are legal, Melton said it is illegal and dangerous to fire fireworks at vehicles and people. Anyone caught firing fireworks in a dangerous manner will be subject to citation and prosecution.