Officers with the Carroll Police Department were kept busy fielding fireworks complaints and conducting compliance checks over the course of the sales period. This is the third year of mandated sales in Iowa, where the state legislature has said that communities are unable to ban the sale of fireworks and are given minimal regulatory leeway on vendor locations. Local law enforcement is also responsible for ensuring that sales are not made to anyone under 18 years of age. However, each individual town or city does have the authority to regulate use. The City of Carroll has had a ban on any fireworks over a novelty classification in each of the last three years. Chief of Police, Brad Burke, said that the first year his department worked to educate residents on the new legislation. Last year, that continued, but more citations were issued, at a cost of up to $397.50 for those who violated the city ordinance. He reports that since June 1, when sales from permanent locations opened, his department has responded to 51 complaints within the city limits. Nine people were issued citations between June 13 and July 7, and two individuals, who were working for fireworks retailers, were cited for selling items to minors. A listing of those citations can be found below. Sales of fireworks officially closed on Monday, July 8.
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Citations for selling fireworks to minors:
Duce Del Angel 07-03-19
David Isgrig 07-03-19
Citations for lighting fireworks in Carroll
Michael Grossman 06-13-19
Cody Bothwell 06-27-19
Calvin Kienast 06-27-19
Juan Lopez Madonado 07-04-19
Keyera Wilson 07-04-19
Kenneth Harris 07-05-19
Jesse Seyler 07-05-19
Ezra Dirkx 07-07-19
14-year-old juvenile 07-07-19
