Overview
- Law enforcement across the U.S. is issuing final pre‑New Year alerts against celebratory gunfire, calling the practice illegal and potentially lethal.
- Departments plan high‑visibility patrols and rapid response using ShotSpotter and license‑plate readers, with targeted outreach in hot‑spot areas such as Riviera Beach and Richmond.
- Officials instruct residents to take cover and then call 911 if they hear shots, and they warn that arrests and fines or jail can follow, including IMPD’s Level 6 felony penalties.
- Fire safety leaders urge sober, adult‑only handling of fireworks, safe distances and hard flat surfaces, keeping water nearby, and soaking duds, as the CPSC reports about 14,000 ER injuries last year.
- Dry weather has triggered fireworks limits in parts of Florida, including burn bans that bar noncommercial fireworks in Baker, Union and Bradford counties and prohibitions on fireworks on Volusia County beaches.