Phoenix police arrested three people for allegedly firing guns into the air during the New Year’s holiday. As KJZZ’s Peter O’Dowd reports, the department has been going after this type of crime for a decade.

PETER O’DOWD: On New Year’s Eve 2002 Phoenix police received 759 reports of shots fired. This year, that number fell to 264. Sgt. Tommy Thompson says the department made three arrests, including Ernesto Mejia De La Cueva who allegedly fired 10 rounds from a shotgun in his backyard.

TOMMY THOMPSON: He made an interesting comment when asked why he was shooting. He said because he wanted to make noise for the New Year. And that’s the very message we’ve been trying to get out there. Find another way to celebrate.

O’DOWD: Shannon’s Law is named after a Phoenix teenager who was killed by a stray bullet in 1999. It makes firing a gun unlawfully within city limits a Class 6 felony.