VIDALIA &8212; While Miss-Lou law enforcement officials want everyone to have fun this New Year&8217;s, they remind citizens to be safe.

In a statement, Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell said parents should handle and supervise the use of fireworks.

&8220;I can&8217;t stress this enough,&8221; Maxwell said. &8220;Within seconds, a child can lose an eye or a grown-up can severely burn a hand or arm. Sparklers, bottle rockets, firecrackers &8212; these aren&8217;t toys.&8221;

Maxwell hopes families decide just to skip fireworks this year.

&8220;Preventing tragedy is the best advice I can give anyone,&8221; he said.

Maxwell also said he would continue to increase CPSO highway patrols, targeting impaired drivers, speeders and seat belt violations for adults and children.

&8220;Drinking and driving just won&8217;t be tolerated,&8221; Maxwell said. &8220;When you choose &8212; and it&8217;s definitely a choice &8212; to get behind the wheel after a night of drinking and partying, you endanger your own life and, even worse, endanger the lives of other innocent motorists.&8221;

To avoid this problem, CPSO will once again offer the &8220;Tipsy Taxi&8221; service on New Year&8217;s Eve to those who have been drinking and have no designated driver.

Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown said his office, too, would be stepping up patrols and would offer rides to those who feel they&8217;re not safe to drive.

&8220;If you&8217;re out drinking, call us and we&8217;ll get you home,&8221; Brown said. &8220;We&8217;ll take them home instead of to jail.&8221;

Vidalia Police Chief Billy Hammers said there is an ordinance against fireworks within the city limits but it has been customary, for the last 20 years, to allow them to be discharged for New Year&8217;s.

&8220;We&8217;re not telling anyone they can shoot fireworks, because the ordinance says they can&8217;t, but that&8217;s not going to be our major priority unless we get a call or complaint,&8221; Hammers said.

Hammers said the Vidalia Police Department will also offer a ride to anyone who lives within the city limits, has had too much to drink and does not have any other means of getting home. Hammers said VPD officers will also file charges on anyone who fires a gun into the air to celebrate New Years Eve.

&8220;You&8217;ve got to remind people not to shoot weapons up in the air come midnight because once that bullet comes up it&8217;s got to go down somewhere,&8221; Hammers said.

Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said his officers would be on the look-out for fireworks and guns fired within the city limits &8212; both of which are illegal.

Firing guns into the air is especially dangerous, he said.

&8220;When (bullets) come down, they have enough force to penetrate a roof and seriously injure or kill someone,&8221; he said.

Ferriday&8217;s police chief Richard Madison said he is asking citizens to observe the times allowed to shoot fireworks.

Madison said fireworks can be discharged within the town limits until 12 a.m. Jan. 2.

Since New Year&8217;s Day falls on a Monday, Madison said curfews for children would still be enforced.

Children must be indoors by 10 p.m., Madison said.

&8220;We&8217;re going to be monitoring any curfew breaking closely,&8221; Madison said. &8220;(The holidays) are catch-up time for that homework.&8221;

Mullins said his officers would also be looking for intoxicated drivers.

&8220;We&8217;ve had very few serious accidents over the holidays recently, and we hope to keep it that way.&8221;

Katie Stallcup contributed to this article