Despite skies above Oahu being lit up with illegal aerials and their booms reverberating at all hours across the island, police said there was a 13% decrease in fireworks-related calls this New Year’s holiday period over last season.
Hawaii people are especially reluctant to report illegal fireworks use because they just want to get along with their neighbors, said Honolulu Assistant Police Chief Sean Naito, which is why curbing their use is especially difficult here.
“They don’t want to upset anybody or get anybody mad, so part of it is just (an unwillingness) to report their friends, families or neighbors or even just being accepting of fireworks in general.”
There were 2,100 calls to 911 from Dec. 1 to Jan. 2 versus 2,400 during the same period last season (Dec. 1, 2018, to Jan. 2, 2019).
The calls resulted in only a handful of arrests and few citations.
Police arrested three juveniles this year for use of aerials and general prohibitions and issued 96 citations for fireworks violations, as compared with last year when two adults and one juvenile were arrested and 76 citations were issued.
Of the 96 citations, 21 were for aerial fireworks, Naito said. The rest were for various violations including not having a permit, and being underage to set off fireworks.
Probable cause is needed to make an arrest for fireworks offenses, but is no longer restricted to a police officer witnessing the illegal act.
Act 248, signed into law July 5 by Gov. David Ige, states probable cause for an arrest may include but is not limited to statements from individuals who witnessed the offense, even though they are not law enforcement officers, and photos, video or other recordings showing the commission of the offense and authenticated by one or more witnesses.
It also puts the liability on the homeowner, renter or property owner for the use of illegal fireworks.
Honolulu police stepped up their fireworks enforcement with additional uniformed patrol and plain-
clothes officers, which resulted in 20 more citations issued, a 26% increase,
police said.
Naito said legal and illegal fireworks have the potential for causing injury, property damage, harm to those with respiratory issues and “especially our combat veterans with PTSD (post-
traumatic stress disorder).”
The aerial fireworks being used are often of commercial grade and have a greater potential for injury and damage, thus the need for expertise when setting them off, he said.
On Maui a 30-year-old man was critically injured at
12:05 a.m. New Year’s Day in front of a Lahaina house when fireworks exploded in his face, the Maui Fire Department said. He was knocked unconscious and suffered severe trauma to the left side of his face and severe burns to his head, neck and chest.
A 17-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after fireworks exploded in his hand at 12:38 a.m. Wednesday in Makakilo. Emergency Medical Services responded to four other fireworks-related injury calls, but they refused transport to hospitals.
A surveillance camera
at a Maili house caught fireworks flying into a wicker chair, causing it to ignite. Flames spread to the outer wall of the house. Residents weren’t home, but bystanders used a garden hose to extinguish the fire before firefighters arrived.
Honolulu police will continue to work on leads throughout the year regarding illegal fireworks because they are being brought into Honolulu often early in the year, not right before New Year’s Eve.
“What we see during the holiday season is just the end result,” Naito said.
Illegal fireworks are often smuggled into Honolulu inside shipping containers, but could arrive by other means.
“Unfortunately, when there’s a demand for it, people will find a way,” Naito said.
He encouraged people to call police with any information on the importation of
illegal fireworks.
