CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Police Department said they will have 'all hands on deck' to respond to calls this Fourth of July.
During Last Tuesday's city council meeting, Police Chief Mike Markle mentioned emphasized how busy the Fourth of July can get for first responders.
“It is one of the busiest nights of the year, not just in fireworks, but in general," Chief Markle said, "So we’ll double our call load historically on that night. Our primary focus is to keep people alive. Most of the night, we’ll be answering calls for service and DWI enforcement in order to keep our folks alive.”
Although fireworks are illegal within city limits, police will mostly get calls related to the use of fireworks. Injuries, crashes, and DWIs are also on the list for major calls.
“We have extra patrols out there on the beach. We have extra traffic units out, our DWI officers are out there, gang officers, everybody, so there will be no stone unturned," Lt. Henry Mangum said.
When it comes to response times, particularly during the holidays, police also added that it's based on the circumstance. It could be based on the priority, the time of day, the specific area, and how many officers are free in that area at the time.
For those who decide to let off fireworks, even though they are restricted within the city, Chief Markle said his department will be issuing citations. Those citations come with a fine of $2,000, if caught.
CCPD said they want everyone to have fun but to be mindful of their surroundings and others.
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