Be forewarned: If a Carpentersville police officer sees you setting off an illegal firework, you will be getting a ticket, not a warning.
That was the message relayed Tuesday night by Police Chief Kevin Stankowitz at the Carpentersville Village Board meeting. His department has an enforcement plan for the Fourth of July holiday season, he said, and it no longer involves letting people off the hook for breaking the long-standing law.
“It appears the warnings aren’t necessarily working so now we will escalate that into actual citations,” Stankowitz said.
An initial violation comes with a $50 fine, which escalates to $250 for a second offense and $500 for a third.
“The main goal is to improve quality of life, enhance public safety and decrease the number of fireworks incidents across the community,” Stankowitz told the board.
The enforcement plan “builds on the foundation established in 2025 and aims to reduce the negative effect of illegal fireworks through a balanced approach through education, enforcement and intelligence gathering,” he said.
In 2021, the police received 141 calls about illegal fireworks. The number dropped to 65 in 2023 and remained about the same in 2024.
Then, last year, there were 94 calls. Police issued 34 citations, Stankowitz said.
The department stepped up its enforcment in 2025 and started writing more tickets after issuing only a handful between 2021 and 2024, he said. They’re using data they’ve gathered over the years about locations that generate the most complaints, times when complaints are typically made and people who tend to be repeat offenders to crack down this year, he said.
“Our efforts will target the times and locations that generate the most complaints,” Stankowitz said. “There are clearly identified areas in town where our officers will be focusing their enforcement efforts.”
Police will be issuing tickets unless they receive another call that requires an immediate response and forces them to write a warning, the chief said.
Trustee Jeff Frost said he agreed with that plan.
“I say no warnings because you have to get into their pockets. I feel the only way to get through to them is to give them citations,” Frost said.
“I would agree with that,” Stankowitz said.
That’s not to say education is not a component of their campaign. Carpentersville is joining forces with other local police departmentsto get the word out about fireworks being illegal, and it will be doing its own social media messaging to reach local residents as the July 4 holiday nears, Stankowitz said.
“We’ll do the best we can, of course,” Village President John Skillman said. “People are going to blow up fireworks. They spend lots of money on it and will do their thing. But it’s just not right.”
Skillman, a retired firefighter and former village fire chief, said he remembers responding to many calls about illegal fireworks that set fire to roofs and boats. The most difficult were those in which children were injured by explosives, he said.
“We’ve all got to be vigilant,” Skillman said.
The best thing people can do, he said, is to “let the professionals do it” by attending legal shows like the one to be held by the Dundee Township Park District on Saturday, June 27, at Meadowdale Shopping Center in Carpentersville.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
