Council hears July 4 fireworks enforcement numbers and a resident’s near‑miss plea at Michigan & McGillivray

Public safety dominated portions of the July 6 Crest Hill council meeting as police reported holiday enforcement numbers and a resident requested targeted traffic enforcement.

Deputy Chief Ryan Dobbsick told council the department handled approximately 29–30 fireworks calls from July 1–5 and issued six citations (one written warning was later converted to a citation). He noted enforcement limitations when incidents occurred in neighboring county jurisdictions and said weather and staffing affected enforcement levels during the holiday weekend.

During public comment, resident Kathy Abele described a near‑miss at the intersection of Michigan and McGillivray on the morning of July 4, saying a motorist blew a stop sign and came within about two feet of hitting her. Police agreed to meet with the resident after the meeting and to set up a traffic detail for the area.

Why it matters: fireworks enforcement and intersection safety affect residents’ safety and quality of life. Council members asked for a strategy to better allocate detail officers for future holidays and to coordinate with the park district and neighboring jurisdictions.

Next steps: police offered to meet with the resident to collect specifics and to consider a traffic detail. Council asked staff to examine approaches to July 4 enforcement next year to improve coverage on the actual holiday date and to limit spillover activity in adjacent jurisdictions.

Representative quote: "We did write six citations...we had approximately 29 or 30 calls for service for fireworks starting from July 1 to July 5," Deputy Chief Dobbsick said. Resident Kathy Abele said, "They blew the stop sign...they came within 2 feet of approximately hitting me."