Officers ready to enforce fireworks bans - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Police are on fireworks patrol, searching for people breaking an unprecedented law banning fireworks in dozens of Indiana cities.

The ban affects people in Marion, Hamilton, Johnson and Boone counties. Police are vowing to crack down on anyone putting people's lives and homes in danger. Law enforcement in these counties say if they get calls about people setting off fireworks, they'll show up and could confiscate the fireworks and issue a ticket.

"It's going to be interesting to see what the Fourth is going to be like," said Whitestown Police Ofc. Brian Minton.

Since the ban was issued Friday, it's been quiet in Whitestown.

"I like fireworks as much as the next person does, but someone's property and loved ones are, I guess, more important than them," Minton added.

Eyewitness News rode along with Minton to see if people were setting off fireworks despite the ban. Whitestown has joined a growing list of communities and counties across the state banning fireworks because of the extremely dry conditions.

"Everybody should know it hasn't rained a decent amount of rain for a long period of time," Minton said.

Ignoring the ban a first time will get you a warning. Ignore it a second time, though, and it could cost you up to $1,000.

A fine might not be the only way you pay for ignoring the fireworks ban. Should you set them off and do any kind of damage to your property or your neighbors' property, your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy might not cover the damage. That's why the state is encouraging people to consider the consequences, before they ignore the ban.

"Hopefully people think, 'I don't want to lose my yard, lose my house',"said Minton.

"Just the embers coming down, landing on grass and the county's actually pretty windy. All that blows around on us, catch anything on fire pretty quickly," said Boone County Sheriff's Deputy Sam Scott.

Boone County's ban kicked in Monday. So far, though, they haven't received any calls. It seems people have gotten the message.

"I know it really stinks not be able to let fireworks off on the Fourth of July, but safety's gotta come first," said Scott.