Fireworks can be a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July, but illegal, at-home fireworks can be more than a nuisance to neighbors and law enforcement. When fireworks shoot into the sky and explode, they impact everyone around. People have trouble sleeping. Some neighbors with PTSD can be triggered. Plus, a lot of pets go wild.

Syracuse Police are working to crack down on illegal fireworks. The police added a special detail that responds to fireworks calls. The officers investigate corner stores and other places selling illegal fireworks. Recently, there have been a few seizures of illegal fireworks, according to Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, a department spokesman.

Last year, there was an explosion of at-home fireworks shows. Across Syracuse, people were setting off fireworks seven days a week — during the day or after dark. Complaints about those displays are way down this year. Syracuse police have gotten about a quarter of the number of fireworks calls as last year.

At this time last year, Malinowski said the SPD received about 1,500 calls.

“People say, ‘don’t you have anything better to do?’ And yes, we have detectives who are trying to solve the major crimes that occur in the city, but also our residents complain about this,” said Malinowski. “We have some dedicated officers who work extra shifts to go out and enforce these things.”

The police have spent a lot of time telling people how fireworks impact your neighbors.

“It’s important people know is not that we are trying to ruin anyone’s fun,” said Malinowski. “Because we get more comments on Facebook about ruining peoples’ good time. It’s a safety issue. That’s the most important thing. We have seen house fires, physical injury, kids getting burnt and then again, it’s really the noise factor.”

The penalty for illegal fireworks range from a violation to a felony.