Fort Worth cracking down on fireworks with cameras and license plate readers
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — Fort Worth will try using a network of cameras and license plate scanners this year to issue citations to people seen setting off fireworks within city limits.
The strategy adds to a public messaging campaign that will double its volume starting Friday, as the city faces some of the driest conditions it's had on July 4 in about a decade.
Fire chief Jim Davis asked about using the cameras, which are monitored from the city's real time crime center, after some city council members pushed public safety agencies to write more citations to cut down on fireworks use.
Law enforcement has trouble each year responding to the more than 4,000 reports that come in about fireworks. They often don't witness the activity, and police have also expressed a reluctance to ticket people who are celebrating the holiday. Four citations were written in 2021.
Past proposals including a legal fireworks zone, or pre-emptive warnings sent out to addresses that draw complaints, haven't been tried or didn't have the support of city leaders.
Davis acknowledged Thursday the situation is complex, with the use of fireworks allowed in unincorporated areas of the county, and the June 15 deadline already passed for counties to stop the use of fireworks due to drought. Some counties in Texas are using local disaster declarations to get around that rule, but Tarrant County had not done that as of Thursday.
"At the point that we're at, that (public response) is what I'm hoping for," Davis said. "I'm hoping the public can be respectful, and can be responsible with the use."
Fort Worth is using multiple social media accounts to push that message to people over the next four days. The city is also trying to keep 911 lines from filling up with fireworks calls, by setting up a dedicated fireworks reporting webpage, its MyFortWorth app, and a hotline number of 817-392-4444.