Not too wet for fireworks

COEUR d’ALENE — Crime-wise, it was a quieter Independence Day weekend for police in Coeur d’Alene, but the booms and bangs from personal fireworks kept law enforcement personnel busy throughout the county.

“The rain kept a lot of stuff down,” said Capt. Dave Hagar of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

Fewer people gathered in City Park and McEuen Park for the July 4 festivities than in years past, Hagar said, though many families came out in the evening.

“Overall, it was a much calmer night,” he said.

Coeur d’Alene police responded to 942 calls for service over the holiday weekend — almost 100 fewer than last year. Those calls include routine matters like traffic violations and citizen assists.

And there were calls for holiday-specific issues such as firework complaints.

Aerial fireworks have been illegal in Idaho for 25 years. Setting them off is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a $100 fine.

But there’s a loophole, Hagar said. Vendors can sell aerial fireworks to customers who sign affidavits promising not to shoot them off in Idaho.

“We’re left to deal with the aftermath of that,” Hagar said.

Over the holiday weekend, Coeur d’Alene police received numerous complaints of illegal fireworks and reportedly issued some citations.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reportedly logged 44 illegal fireworks complaints between Saturday and Monday, all of which were cleared with warnings.

Rathdrum police received eight calls related to fireworks, while Post Falls police received 81.

Issuing citations for illegal fireworks is a challenge, because officers have to witness the act. Short of that, all police can do is give a warning.

This year, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department dedicated a special detail to responding to fireworks-related calls. But with a high volume of complaints, police often can’t reach the scene fast enough to see the fireworks go off.

“There are so many illegal fireworks out there,” Hagar said. “If we can’t keep it out of their hands, we can’t keep it out of the air.”

In Coeur d’Alene, the final tally for fireworks-related citations is yet to be determined. Plainclothes officers in unmarked vehicles will continue to monitor illegal firework activity through this week.

Coeur d’Alene police reportedly made 26 arrests over the weekend, including 13 felony drug arrests. Just three felony drug arrests occurred in Coeur d’Alene during the same period last year.

The sheriff's office handled 720 calls for service, more than 100 fewer than last year. Deputies made 10 drug arrests, 11 DUI arrests and four arrests for boaters operating under the influence.

Post Falls police received 525 calls for service. They made six arrests and issued 21 citations, as well as 17 warnings.

Between July 1 and July 4, the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department received 131 calls for service, 85 of which were medical. Four calls were for fires and seven were for crashes.

Northern Lakes Fire District received 80 calls for service, including 50 medical incidents. Crews also responded to three motor vehicle crashes and two structure fires, as well as 25 miscellaneous calls.

No calls received by Northern Lakes were related to fireworks.

Of the 91 people booked into the Kootenai County jail over the holiday weekend, 35 were from out of state.

Capt. Kevin Smart of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said no major incidents occurred over the holiday.

Deputies responded instead to numerous calls about family fights, disorderly conduct and, notably, a dispute at a grocery store over the last rotisserie chicken.

“We were fortunate for our weekend,” Smart said.