Police departments across North Texas will again crack down on New Year鈥檚 celebrants who fire guns, light fireworks or drive drunk. Dallas police say these kinds of crimes rise this time of year and they鈥檙e out to stop them.
Dallas Deputy Chief Rick Watson said there were 166 calls about illegal fireworks last year and 539 calls about gunfire.
鈥淚f we manage to arrest anyone for that gun offense, it is a class 鈥淎鈥� misdemeanor, punishable of up to 1 year in jail and it鈥檚 a fine of $4,000 or both," Watson said. "This individual could also be charged with deadly conduct.鈥�
Watson said jail time for that offense is 2 to 10 years.
Dallas Fire Marshal Christopher Martinez warns launching illegal 颅fireworks is dangerous.
鈥淚t could be anything from injuries pertaining to hands 鈥� face,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淭hese injuries could range from minor burns to serious second-degree burns, but other accidents have occurred more severe than that. In addition, you have the potential for accidental fires.鈥�
Mesquite municipal court judge Detra Hill, takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to this year鈥檚 crackdowns by welcoming violators to her courtroom for a 鈥渃elebration.鈥�
鈥淎ll you have to do to get your invite,鈥� said Hill in a Mesquite video online, 鈥渋s to shoot a gun into the air or decide to possess or use fireworks in Mesquite. It鈥檚 that simple. The party will be fun for everyone. There鈥檒l be citations and penalties for every attendee, and we will have plenty of court costs and maybe the loss of your driver鈥檚 license. My special guest may get a surprise of some jail time.鈥�
Dallas police are already enforcing their no refusal policy. That means if a possibly drunk driver refuses to take a breathalyzer test, police will get an immediate warrant to test the driver鈥檚 blood.
Got a tip? Email Reporter Bill Zeeble at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter .
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