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Puyallup police outline staffing, enforcement plan and legal hours for July 4 fireworks
Summary
Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engel described an enforcement and education plan for the July 4 holiday, including dedicated officers, coordination with fire marshals and a reminder that fireworks are legal only from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on July 4 in Puyallup; residents were asked to call 911 to report violations.
Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engel told the City Council on June 17 that the department will deploy dedicated officers and coordinate with fire marshals to enforce fireworks rules and run public-education outreach ahead of the July 4 holiday.
Engel said the department will staff a dedicated officer for fireworks complaints on July 2, two officers from 6 p.m. to midnight on July 3, and two officers paired with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue fire marshals from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on July 4; additional coverage will continue through the weekend. "The fire marshals are very well versed in what is a safe firework and what is an illegal firework," Engel said.
Why it matters: fireworks are a recurring public-safety and neighborhood-disruption issue in Puyallup. The department is combining dedicated enforcement shifts with an education campaign to reduce unsafe and illegal displays and to respond to community calls.
Key facts
- Chief Engel said the department will run a social-media education campaign beginning the week after the council meeting and that officers will be proactive in problem areas the city identifies from prior years.
- "For the public in Puyallup, fireworks are legal to discharge between 9 and 11AM only on July 4. That is the permitted time that you can do that. And outside of that, it is a criminal violation," Engel said.
- Residents were asked to call 911 for fireworks complaints in Puyallup; Engel said the city treats those reports as calls for service and sends officers to respond. He contrasted Puyallup's approach with neighboring jurisdictions that use an online reporting portal but do not dispatch officers for each report.
Discussion and next steps
Mayor Jim Castelman and City Manager Steve Kirkley confirmed the city will post educational messages in the city newsletter and on the city and police social-media channels. Council members said they receive some of the most critical constituent correspondence of the year after July 4 and welcomed early outreach.
The police chief took questions from council but did not propose any new local ordinance changes at the meeting. The city manager said staff would run the planned outreach and that the department will continue enforcement activity through the holiday weekend.
Ending
The department's plan combines targeted enforcement shifts, fire-marshal expertise, and public education. City officials asked residents to use 911 for immediate fireworks concerns.
