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Little trouble during Fourth of July celebrations
Posted: 07.05.2011 at 6:14 PM
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Updated with video; Officials in Dougherty County say this Fourth of July was a safe one.

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ALBANY, GA -- For emergency responders the Fourth of July can be one of their busiest days of the year. But was that the case in Dougherty County? In the past firefighters have responded to burn calls after fireworks accidents and police have been called out after people fired shots in the air.

But officials in Dougherty County say this Fourth of July was a safe one.

All last week emergency officials were giving out the warnings; Be safe during Fourth of July celebrations. It seems like people listened.

“Actually this year we were fortunate. We really did not respond to any calls in relation to fireworks celebrations,” said Assistant Fire Chief Allen Cravey.

Firefighters say it's unusual to have a night that quiet on the fourth.

“Normally you can count on having a few calls each year related to fireworks especially with the weather as dry as it has been. Educating the community, making people aware of the hazards this year really seems to have worked,” said Asst. Chief Cravey.

Albany police say they had a relatively peaceful night as well. Despite there being thousands of people watching fireworks here at the civic center Monday night, officers say they only handed out a few citations and didn't have any reports of violence.

“The officers issued out several citations for saggy pants and an interfering with a police officer citation,” said Capt. Reginald Brown.

One problem area for police they say after the fireworks ended there were way too many minor waiting for rides and violating curfew.

“After the parking and everyone had been cleared, we approximately had anywhere from 75 to 100 kids that were waiting to be picked up,” said Capt. Brown. “The last kid was picked up at around 12:30 long after the fireworks had ended.”

The officers did not issue curfew citations, but say they do plan to crack down at future events.

Officials at Dougherty county EMS say they also had a quiet evening. They did respond twice at Legacy Park Sunday during the Freedom Festival, but those calls were medically related, not due to fireworks.

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