There was just one case related to the confiscation of illegal fireworks in Coral Springs last year. Is that because people stayed away from fireworks or because police officers did not do their job?

The committee formed by the Coral Springs customer involved government committee to study the issue of illegal fireworks said they felt police did not do enough. City staff said they had different feelings.

"Most of the study circle members felt the city's enforcement of current laws is lax," said study circle president Gordon Boast at a city workshop. "We don't do any confiscation. We should replace threats of action with actual action. We should more aggressively enforce what is enforceable."

Police Chief Duncan Foster said he felt the statistics on confiscation did not do justice to the efforts his staff had put in. "Once we confiscate something from a resident, we need to give a property receipt," he said. "We don't give property receipts when we confiscate illegal fireworks as they have no value. We do confiscate illegal fireworks and destroy them."

The city needs to measure confiscation better, Mayor Scott Brook said. "There is a lot of confiscation happening that is not measured," he said. "The perception is that we can do a better job."

City Manager Mike Levinson defended the police strategy of warning residents who use illegal fireworks first and confiscating if the warning is not heeded. "Measuring confiscation does not tell us the measure of compliance. Confiscation may be less because compliance may be greater due to police warning," he said.

At the workshop, the commission rejected the proposal put forward by the study circle to confiscate illegal fireworks without giving a warning. There will no longer be a study circle on the issue.

Some of the members of the study circle who were pushing for immediate confiscation went home disappointed. Resident Jerry Modell said the city would have trouble getting any member of the study circle in future projects. "I thought Ted and Scott really tried," he said. "Claudette wanted something done as well. I am very disappointed in Vince and Gold. I don't think what the city has planned to do is going to work."

Read a longer version of the article in the June 26 issue of the Coral Springs Forum.