Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says the department is ready to crack down on any 4th of July illegal activity

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says his officers are ready to crack down on crime this Fourth of July.

This time last year, officers responded to over 40 teens shooting fireworks in Boom Island Park, targeting police and bystanders.

O'Hara told WCCO Radio's Adam and Jordana that he hopes that the city bringing back the formal July 4th celebrations this year will mean less opportunities for people to get in trouble.

"This year, the fireworks are back, so we're hopeful that having the fireworks will give people something to do other than looking for stuff to kind of do on their own," O'Hara said. "We're hoping that in and of itself will help. We've worked with Chief Ohotto with the Park Police."

O'Hara says officers will be on the look out for anyone who plans to engage in dangerous behavior this weekend and that the department is working extra hard to make things as safe as possible.

"This weekend, it's not going to be perfect. Ever. But it's definitely our goal to get as close as we can to 100%," O'Hara explained. "We want every year, as we go forward, I want more and more people to say both I feel safer in this town, and also I have more trust in this police department."

The city has seen a serious criminal element over the July 4th holiday, not just in 2023 but in 2022 when there was literally chaos in and near downtown. That included a shooting on Boom Island where seven people were injured, and people in cars shooting fireworks as dangerous projectiles at passersby's on city sidewalks.

As O'Hara noted, there were no formal festivities in the city for the holiday in either year, which created a situation where groups gathered to shoot off their own fireworks and those celebrations got out of control.

Minneapolis' Red, White and Boom! celebration takes place on Thursday at the Water Works and the Stone Arch Bridge parking lot, on the west side of the Mississippi. Live music and food trucks begin at 6:00 p.m. with the fireworks display taking place at 10:00 p.m.

The city does note that they'll be monitoring the weather conditions for any partial or full cancellations occurring due to severe weather between 6:00-10:00. WCCO's Paul Douglas says there is a slight chance of some storms in the area Thursday evening.

The city's police department will also be busy over the weekend with around 100,000 people expected to be downtown for the Taste of Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. along the Nicollet Mall.