Stepped-up patrols over July 4 weekend

Officers of the 111th Precinct are reminding residents that fireworks are illegal – and warning that there will be additional patrols over the July 4thweekend.
“We will be very aggressive,” said 111th Precinct Executive Officer Captain Tommy Ng. “We track last year’s 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 complaints and this is where officers – uniformed and plain clothes – will be deployed.”
Within the command, he said, these include Francis Lewis Boulevard to the Clearview Expressway and 28th to 35th Avenues.
If you use fireworks, the NYPD cautions, you or someone else can get seriously hurt.
If you have fireworks the NYPD can arrest you, your car can be confiscated or your business can be closed.
In fact, a police source said that the NYPD often sends plain-clothes units out of state, where fireworks are sold; they follow the New York plates, and if the driver is in possession of fireworks, he or she can be arrested once they cross New York lines.
The 111th seizes illegal fireworks every year, said officers, and this year they have already confiscated some illegal pyrotechnics.
Concerned citizens can anonymously report the delivery, sale or storage of fireworks by calling 9-1-1 for crimes in progress; or 3-1-1 to provide information.
There is a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons possessing or distributing fireworks.
As another safety measure, the 111thwill also have numerous DWI check points set up.