PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Police in Providence have so far arrested 14 people since the city formed a task force to crack down on illegal fireworks that have bedeviled cities across the country this summer.

The department tweeted Saturday that six people were arrested Thursday and eight more on Friday as officials prepared to enforce the state’s ban on fireworks again Saturday.

About a dozen officials from the Providence police and fire departments as well as the State Fire Marshal’s Office fanned out across the city in recent days responding specifically to reports of fireworks and noise-related incidents.

Ground-based firecrackers and handheld sparklers are legal in Rhode Island.

But Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements has said the cancellation of a number of local fireworks displays has led to a proliferation of more powerful, aerial fireworks that remain illegal in the state.

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