MILWAUKEE — As the City of Milwaukee prepares for its annual Independence Day fireworks on the lakefront, one resident is concerned amateur pyrotechnics in his neighborhood are not getting the appropriate legal response.
“All of a sudden, a huge bang,” the man said. “A really, really loud bang.”
This man asked we conceal his identity so he doesn’t face any retaliation for speaking out.
Sunday night after 9 p.m. in the Brewer’s Hill neighborhood, there were several loud fireworks being set off, the man said. The first one wasn’t an issue, but they continued.
“Barely five minutes later, another huge bang,” he said. “I thought, this is really ridiculous.”
In the City of Milwaukee, it is illegal to sell, discharge and use fireworks of any variety. The city says, “Any item that emits smoke, a bang, or sparkle is considered illegal.” If you’re caught, it can carry a fine from $500 to $1,000. Since 2013, there have been 140 citations issued for fireworks.
But no one was going to get one in Brewer’s Hill Sunday night because the police weren’t going to show up.
“I was told they wouldn’t send a patrol,” the man said. “They would not be responding to any fireworks calls until July 6. That upset me. It’s ridiculous.”
The fireworks were caught on TMJ4’s tower camera on King Drive (below).
Milwaukee police say it “will and does respond to fireworks complaints throughout the whole year; however, there is usually a high volume of fireworks complaints during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend which causes a delay for a squad response.”
According to the Milwaukee Police Department's (MPD) calls for service, it has responded to 14 calls for fireworks complaints. In six cases, police didn’t find anyone involved. In seven cases, MPD advised parties but did not issue citations and in one case, the call was marked as complete.
“I think it’s part of the celebration of America’s independence,” Max Scheurell said.
Scheurell lives in the neighborhood and says he enjoyed the explosive celebration near his home. He hopes people take the holiday into consideration before contacting the police about a disturbance.
“It was noisy, but it was cool,” Scheurell said. “If you’re neighborly with people around you and ask and suggest, hey it’s a little late for this, maybe they’ll respond a bit better. I don’t think a police response is necessary.”
Nearby police departments say they will continue to respond to calls for fireworks complaints, including Waukesha Police, Greenfield Police, Wauwatosa Police, and Kenosha Police. Kenosha says it will respond to fireworks calls, though they are a relatively low priority compared to other calls they're working on. Unless it involves personal or property damage, the response time for fireworks calls will typically be slower.
MPD says it is looking into the allegation of not responding until a certain date.
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