Cheyenne Police Targeting Drunk Drivers, Illegal Fireworks

Cheyenne Police spokesman officer Dan Long says that agency will be going all out to catch drunk drivers and people using illegal fireworks inside city limits this weekend.

Long says the department will have it's DUI Command Post van out on the streets starting on Friday. The van allows officers to speed up the process of making DUI arrests by allowing suspects to be taken to the van for processing, allowing officers to get back on the streets looking for other drunk drivers more quickly.

Some national surveys indicate July 4th is the biggest single day for drinking in the United States, with July 3 the third biggest such day.

Long says local police always see an increase in drunk driving during such holidays and will be making every effort to catch those who do that.

He says police will also be going the extra mile to catch people illegally using fireworks in Cheyenne. Most fireworks are illegal within the city limits, although there are a few exceptions. Those include sparklers, smoke bombs and novelty items such as 'black snakes".

But all fireworks that explode or are considered a fire hazard are illegal, with violators liable for a $200 fine according to Long. He says police will be going the extra mile to catch fireworks violators, including deploying officers on foot patrol in some cases.

Long is asking Cheyenne residents who know of illegal fireworks to report their use to police adding the department typically gets a lot of such calls this time of year.