The Northside Public Safety Council wants to wish Northside residents a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Northside Public Safety President David Stacy wants Northsiders to remember that fireworks are illegal in the city of Pittsburgh, and = there will be a special task force out to issue citations.

“It’s not against the law to have fireworks. But it’s against the law to use them,” said Stacy, who encouraged neighbors to call 911 if they hear fireworks.

In May and the first week of June, approximately 498 incidents were reported throughout the Northside, which led to approximately 210 arrests.

The Northside Public Safety Council is a nonprofit corporation composed of community leaders, businesses, government officials the Housing Authority, property owners and the Zone 1 Pittsburgh Police.

The Northside Public Safety Committee meets the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. on the mezzanine level of The Northside Leadership Conference’s offices at 4 Allegheny  Center. All are welcome.

A useful resource for the community is the Zone 1 website at www.communitysafety.pittsburghpa.gov.

For questions or concerns regarding crime or police presence, contact the Zone 1 Community Relations Officer, Forrest Hodges at [email protected]