If complaints and citations provide any indication, then it’s not your imagination: Illegal fireworks abounded this year.

Data from the Denver Police Department shows that between June 15 and July 6, firework complaints were up by about 265% compared with last year. Citations were also up 142%.

Although law enforcement officials can’t point to a direct cause for the increase, DPD spokesman Doug Schepman said, “Anecdotally, it does seem illegal fireworks usage was more prevalent this year, which is the most likely factor for an increase in complaints.” 

Over that one-month period, Denver police received a total of 5,389 complaints. 

The numbers reflect a greater trend that’s taken shape across the country, as cities rocked by protests after the May 25 death of George Floyd have become familiar with the sound of explosions after dark.

Three years ago, however, Denver also saw a spike in firework activity. In 2017, residents phoned in about 3,100 times to complain. Schepman said DPD did not have “specific insight into” the surge. 

Although 2017’s calls amounted to about 2,300 fewer than those made this year, DPD issued 22 more citations than they did in 2020. 

Schepman said that’s because officers require the signature of the complainant to issue a citation. This year, in nearly half of the complaints that came from southwest Denver – a major hot spot for complaints – there was either “no known complainant, the complainant did not want follow-up contact by officers, or the complainant did not know the specific location where the fireworks were being used.”

According to DPD data, the city’s main sources of fireworks calls align with what’s become known as Denver’s “inverted L,” a shape that forms a boundary roughly aligned with Interstate Highways 70 and 25 and tends to illustrate where inequities are in the city.

On July 4 within the last four years, complaints were highest in 2018 with a record 1,016 complaints. This year came in second place with 856 complaints.

Many metro-area Independence Day celebrations were canceled this year due the coronavirus pandemic.  

Fireworks are illegal in Denver and can result in a $999 fine up to a year’s time behind bars. DPD encourages residents to report fireworks by calling 720-913-2059.