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Pawtucket: Fireworks, yes! Fireworks, no!
Pawtucket took the same day to announce its crackdown on illegal fireworks to announce its July 3rd Independence Day fireworks celebration. Key to the crackdown is the encouragement of citizen reporting to the police in several ways.
In response to an increasing problem with community, resident and illegal firework complaints, the city released this statement:
Pawtucket Police Department to Deploy Additional Resources Against Illegal Fireworks
The Pawtucket Police Department is asking residents to report any illegal fireworks they may observe this year to the Department following approximately 1,300 calls for service regarding fireworks in 2020.
The Department announced that it will be deploying additional resources this year for a zero tolerance approach to the use of illegal fireworks.
“We are asking the public to please contact us at 401-727-9100 if you observe illegal fireworks,” said Acting Public Safety Director and Chief Tina Goncalves. “If you see anything, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we thank the residents in advance for their help and cooperation. With the assistance of everyone we hope to reduce the number of fireworks-related complaints.”
Residents with questions on the RI General Law on fireworks can find more information at the RI State Fire Marshall’s page here.
The Pawtucket Police Department has also announced that the public can now leave anonymous information regarding the buying, selling, or use of illegal fireworks with the Community Policing Unit at 401-729-5847 or email CPU Sergeant Dan Ashworth at [email protected]. Please note that the Community Policing Unit office is not staffed 24 hours a day, therefore contacting the office is not advised when fireworks are actively being used and residents should please contact dispatch at 401-727-9100 in that case.
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Pawtucket Announces July 3rd Celebration
The announcement of Pawtucket’s official fireworks was made by Mayor Grebien and the Pawtucket City Council. The City of Pawtucket will be hosting an Independence Day celebration fireworks event at McCoy Stadium to be held on July 3rd at 9:00pm. The stadium will be closed to the public, and fireworks will be able to be seen throughout the city. More details to follow.
“For over a year, our community because of the pandemic, like so many others across the nation and the world, has gone without community events that bring us all together,” said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. “We hope that the continuation of this longstanding tradition will help to bring a sense of normalcy and Pawtucket pride to the community that everyone can enjoy. ”
This year’s event is structured to be different than in years past since there will be no baseball game prior and the stadium will be closed to the public. The City has engaged with Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group, Inc. through the Fireworks Committee and the display will be set off from the inside of the stadium to be seen across the city. In case of bad weather, the rain date is Monday, July 5th.
“I want to thank the Council and all of the residents who have reached out about this event,” continued Grebien. “We know it is a crowd favorite and, now that restrictions are lifting, are happy to have celebrations once again.”
The City will be providing more information on the event soon which will be located at www.pawtucketri.com or the Pawtucket Mayor’s Office social media.