Police Announce Drone Response To Firework Complaints

June 26, 2026, 08:47 AM

a1abdj

Because nothing celebrates freedom and independence like the government monitoring you from the air to ensure you stay in line.

And just like the license plate cameras and other "important" tools the police "need" for "solving serious crimes", they say they'll only be used for one thing and then end up using them for another.

https://www.facebook.com/photo...et=a.168284035461647

quote:
New This Year: Kirkwood Police Drone Responding to Fireworks Complaints

As we prepare for the Fourth of July holiday, the Kirkwood Police Department is introducing a new tool to help respond more efficiently to fireworks complaints.

This year, our Kirkwood Police Department Drone will respond to fireworks violation calls alongside patrol officers. Due to the high volume of calls received during the holiday, the drone will help officers quickly locate violations, assess situations, and improve response times throughout the city.

The drone is equipped with a loudspeaker and floodlight and may broadcast the following prerecorded message:

"Attention. This is the Kirkwood Police Department Drone Unit. The discharge of fireworks is prohibited within the City of Kirkwood. Cease all fireworks activity immediately. Failure to comply will result in officers being dispatched to your location, and enforcement action may be taken."

Individuals who do not comply with the warning may have patrol officers dispatched to their location and may be subject to citations or other enforcement action.

As a reminder, the possession and discharge of fireworks within the City of Kirkwood is prohibited by city ordinance.

We appreciate everyone's cooperation in helping keep our neighborhoods safe and enjoyable for all residents. We wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day!

June 26, 2026, 08:53 AM

ElToro

They will be really pissed with my neighborhood. We block off a street from traffic, (Cones and a skid steer gets parked in the street) all neighbors invited to bring their ordinance and a food dish or desert to share and around sunset the games begin. It’s legal here and it will be glorious. Then when show is over around 9-10 and a few thousand dollars have literally been set on fire, same skid steer gets fired up and all the cardboard gets loaded and dumped into a big fire pit. A few leaf blowers and some push brooms used for small stuff.

June 26, 2026, 08:53 AM

Chris Orndorff

Awesome! (The drone)

If fireworks are legal where you are, then the drone won’t show up and no one will be “pissed”.

June 26, 2026, 09:54 AM

YooperSigs

My guess is a drunk will shoot down the drone.

June 26, 2026, 09:59 AM

chellim1

quote:
Kirkwood Police Drone Responding to Fireworks Complaints

Ahh... it's Kirkwood... not surprised.

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible."
-- Justice Janice Rogers Brown

"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth."
-rduckwor

June 26, 2026, 10:10 AM

chongosuerte

North Carolina is one of those extremely restrictive fireworks states. Basically anything that leaves the ground is illegal for the public.

Of course, people get globs of high quality mortar style fireworks and do their thing.

Then people call 911 to complain.

Actual enforcement is relatively rare. Many times in the past I have given the order to disregard all fireworks calls due to sheer call volume vs available resources, unless a complainant was standing by to speak with an officer…which could honestly take an hour or two just because of all the actual emergency calls/shootings.

But with the drought I have my concerns. Guarantee there will be some fires if it doesn’t rain next week. Predicted to be a scorcher.

June 26, 2026, 10:32 AM

Loswsmith

I feel safer already.

___________________________________________
Life Member NRA & Washington Arms Collectors

Mistake not my current state of joshing gentle peevishness for the awesome and terrible majesty of the towering seas of ire that are themselves the milquetoast shallows fringing my vast oceans of wrath.

Velocitas Incursio Vis - Gandhi

The good thing is that if Plan A fails, there are 25 other letters in the alphabet.

June 26, 2026, 10:36 AM

old rugged cross

pretty soon we won't need any police, period. Just surveillance.

June 26, 2026, 10:43 AM

tatortodd

The surveillance state in Demolition Man is becoming closer to reality every day. When you need to take a #2 and cannot figure out the 3 seashells, make sure you get issued fines by the surveillance state to have some paper for wiping.

I'm certainly no fan of idiots with powerful fireworks after I ended up with seventeen 2nd degree burns NYE '23. Trip to urgent care, trip to PCP, trip to dermatologist, 6 weeks to heal, permanent scars, etc.

However, I don't call the police, call the HOA, or think drone surveillance is a good idea. I don't like 'em so I don't go around 'em. Only Karens and Chads do that crap.

June 26, 2026, 11:01 AM

Prefontaine

Bring on the drones. Here they set them off two nights before and two nights after. Night of, the drunks are at it all night until they pass out wasted. 4am. Setting them off right over my home. Every year I watch the local news and see vehicles burnt to the ground and homes. I mean every single year now. That’s shit for our firefighters and EMS. If drones save someone’s home, or someone’s life, then it’s worth it. Not myself nor the K9 can sleep through the shit, it’s that loud. I bring in the fire extinguisher from the garage and keep an eye on the cameras. Nothing wrong with fireworks at all but in this day and age, IQ has dropped substantially. People are just fucking stupid. I’d love for my PD to do this actually. It’s that big of an issue where I live. I shouldn’t have to stay up all night with mortar shells above my home. That should be an opt in thing where you drive somewhere and get your shit on. I’m looking forward to it being over already.

June 26, 2026, 12:14 PM

Georgeair

Careful out there. This is a lake we spend time at, these folks had an amateur show for years off a homemade barge.

Booms start about 0:40.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOMGH4TZ5o

June 26, 2026, 02:32 PM

WaterburyBob

Who complains about fireworks?
I go out and watch them!

June 26, 2026, 03:18 PM

trapper189

I bet the police can’t do this with their drone:

June 26, 2026, 04:53 PM

vthoky

quote:
they say they'll only be used for one thing and then end up using them for another.

It’s become known around here as “the hypocrisy of authority.” Ugh.

June 26, 2026, 05:09 PM

SevenPlusOne

Fucking redcoats.

June 26, 2026, 05:09 PM

ArtieS

Around here, they are legal on NYE and Jul 4. Not Jul 3, not Jul 5, not what you found in the trunk and forgot to light off.

I've got 25 acres of fields that can catch fire, and that every year I have fireworks trash land in. I have a horse barn that can catch fire with horses in it, because when fireworks are going off, we are in the barn with them, keeping them calm, sometimes to 0200 because assholes.

I'm all for freedom, but I'm also all in on respecting your neighbors, and their animals.

Bring on the drones and nuke the fuckers from 1000'.

I don't have fun on the 4th. I try to make sure that the idiots don't cause my animals to panic and kill themselves.

June 26, 2026, 05:15 PM

corsair

quote:
Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
Who complains about fireworks?
I go out and watch them!

All good until it's your roof which is on fire

June 26, 2026, 05:27 PM

jsbcody

I talked with a Kirkwood Detective I know just a couple days ago......the press release was the drone will respond to "fireworks calls" but it will actually respond and document idiots shooting guns. Part of Kirkwood is an area known as Meachum Park, predominately a certain segment of society, one that has numerous convicted felons. Residents getting tired of rounds going into vehicles and homes.