Police urge people to celebrate safely

Do your 'oohing' and 'ahhing' at one of the July 4 celebrations in the area.

"Be safe," that's the buzzword at the Auburn Police Department.

Auburn offers two safe places to catch community Independence Day celebrations and keep your fingers and toes and eyebrows: Emerald Downs' annual Fireworks Spectacular at dusk tonight and the City of Auburn's Fourth of July festival from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday at Les Gove Park.

“We want our citizens to remember, if it goes up or blows up, it is illegal in Auburn,” said Auburn Police Commander William Pierson.

Enhanced patrols began June 15 and the police department will have 43 officers assigned to enforce the city’s fireworks ordinance by responding to reports of illegal fireworks possession and discharge. Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority will patrol areas of the community to school people on the proper use and handling of fireworks.

If you make things go "kablooey" illegally, police will cite you for it. A conviction could result in a possible fine of up to $1,000 and or 90 days in jail. People convicted of discharging fireworks recklessly could be staring at a $5,000 fine and/or a year in jail. Anyone police catch with a device containing more than 2 grains of pyrotechnic charge — such as an M-80 — may be charged with a felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

People can help the City with this stepped-up emphasis by calling 911 when fireworks are illegally or recklessly set off in their neighborhoods.

Fireworks legal and illegal in the state of Washington can be purchased at one of the stands on the Muckleshoot Reservation, but the forbidden stuff can only be discharged in a special area reserved for that purpose on Indian trust land.

"Though you can have them and light them in the discharge area, we want to make sure you do it safely," Pierson said. "If done with criminal negligence, we do have jurisdiction on criminal matters up there. If you fire a bottle rocket at someone, that's reckless endangerment, which is a misdemeanor.

"We like to make it easy: If it flies in the air, goes up and puts off sparks or blows up, it's illegal in the state of Washington. Once you come into the city you are off the trust land and now you possess fireworks considered illegal by the state of Washington," Pierson said.

Pierson said police will not be waiting to stop and search people leaving the reservation. This year, however, officers will be working with the tribe to help with traffic control and security issues.

"The stands have been up there so long, it sends a mixed signal to citizens: while it's illegal in Auburn, it's legal on trust land in the middle of Auburn," Pierson said. "But look at it this way. The Muckleshoot Tribe provides a discharge area. If you feel the need to discharge, that's the place. We encourage people not to violate the City code and ignite fireworks considered illegal by law off the trust land."