Fireworks vs. gunshots: When should you report it to police?

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Gunshots and fireworks, they can sound a lot alike and police departments across the Heartland say it can be tricky to tell the difference.

Officers with the Cape Girardeau Police Department said they get a ton of calls in the weeks leading up to and following the Fourth of July.

They said that’s okay because they urge everyone to call 911 if they hear anything suspicious.

Officers say they take every call seriously and when they arrive on scene they will assess the area to see if it was shots fired or fireworks.

Patrolman Scott Droddy said only folks who spend a lot of time around guns can tell the difference.

“It’s hard to differentiate between shots fired and fireworks so we just want people to call in no matter what that way we can go out and figure out what’s going on,” said Droddy. “If you do call in for a possible shot fired call officers do want you to be available when they get to the scene.”

They say that helps them to better understand what you heard and saw.

We talked to several officers from different departments across the Heartland and they say during this time of year sometimes gunshots go unnoticed because folks think they are fireworks.

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