Marion County Sherriff asks public not to call 911 with fireworks complaints

Each year, the Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest weekends for dispatchers in the Marion County Sheriff’s 911 Center. Unless people are injured, or property is damaged by fireworks, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatchers request that citizens call the non-emergency telephone line, 317-327-3811, to report firework violations.

Marion County Sheriff John Layton: “This Fourth of July, we are asking citizens to do their part in ensuring that our 911 lines are not tied up with people complaining about fireworks. Please consider that someone with a life or death emergency needs to get through to 911 as quickly as possible. Citizens who choose to call the non-emergency line can make a real difference in ensuring that someone who really needs help, gets help faster.”

In 2016, Sheriff’s Office dispatchers answered 9,224 total 911 calls in a 48-hour period (averaging 192 calls an hour) over the Fourth of July holiday.