INGLEWOOD : Anti-Gunfire Campaign Set for New Year’s Eve

It takes little knowledge of physics or advanced mathematics to understand the dangers of a violent New Year’s Eve tradition in Los Angeles: the firing of guns into the air.

Officer Diane Robinson of the Inglewood Police Department said simply: “What goes up must come down.”

In an effort to quell the warlike tradition, Inglewood is sponsoring its third annual New Year’s Eve anti-gunfire campaign, distributing flyers that detail the dangers of indiscriminate firing and setting up a phone number residents can call if they hear gunshots.

Those who witness someone shooting a gun on New Year’s Eve should dial 911, Robinson said, but those who only hear gunfire can call (310) 412-8771 to report the incident.

Although no one has been reported hit by the lead fallout in Inglewood since a police officer was struck in the foot in 1988, shots are fired every year, police say, and bullets can fall with such force that they pierce roofs and cars.