Fireworks violators will be cited

The City of Gaffney Police Department will beef up its patrols on the Fourth of July to combat illegal fireworks use.

Gaffney Police Chief John O'Donald said he will use reserve officers to increase the number of officers on patrol.

It's illegal to discharge a firecracker after 1 a.m. on the Fourth of July, according to a city ordinance. Violators of the ordinance could be charged with a misdemeanor, O'Donald said.

The ordinance was enacted in 2005 after authorities fielded approximately 30 calls within a 3- hour period from residents with fireworks complaints. One police report claimed that several juveniles shot fireworks into a house on Oakland Avenue, leaving a burned area on the homeowner's porch.

The number of complaints have decreased since authorities became a larger presence in the community over the holiday period.

O'Donald said he believes that trend will continue this Fourth of July.

"I don't anticipate anything this year," he said.