JACKSON ENFORCES CITY PARK FIREWORKS BAN

JACKSON -- With the Fourth of July approaching, the city is enforcing a law that makes the use of fireworks illegal in City Park.

The ordinance, passed in August 1994, has been consistently violated but has substantially reduced the use of fireworks in the park.

It was imposed after some young people at the city's Fourth of July celebration engaged in 'bottle rocket wars,' Alderman David Hitt said. "Bottle rockets are very difficult to control, and they would sometimes inadvertently hit large groups of people with them."

The ordinance, Hitt said, is an attempt by the city to assure the safety of those who attended the annual Independence Day festival.

"When you've got literally thousands of people spread out there in the park, it's tough to make sure they're all safe from bottle rockets and fireworks that are hard to control," he said.

The ordinance, Hitt said, gives city police a tighter grasp on the situation.

"Until you have a policeman stationed at every spot in the park, kids may try to get away with fireworks that could be dangerous," he said. "The ordinance just gives police officers a mechanism by which they can more effectively control the danger."

Cape Girardeau and the surrounding cities have no ordinances that restrict fireworks in their parks or in specific areas of their cities.