As the Fourth of July looms each year, Southern California’s police and fire agencies battle a predictable crime: illegal fireworks that will be set off for hours on end, rattling neighborhoods and lighting up the sky. The dangerous effects of the illicit devices are just as predictable, among them injuries, fires, dense smoke and emotional trauma to veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress.
To try to get people to stop buying and setting off the illegal devices — from bottle rockets and firecrackers to mortars and aerial shells — local officials for weeks have sent emails, posted on social media and held press conferences, warning of the dangers and cautioning that using them could lead to citations and hefty fines.
On the streets of cities across the region on the Fourth of July, law enforcement will use various strategies to combat the use of such fireworks, with fines and other penalties used as a deterrent. Yet most local officials agree that enforcement is labor-intensive and solving the problem is tricky.
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“It’s an all hands on deck day for us,” said Huntington Beach police Lt. Thoby Archer said. “We’re stretched thin like every coastal city is.”
Every single Huntington Beach police officer will work on the Fourth of July. according to city officials, when calls for service are expected to dramatically rise
Last year, Huntington Beach dispatchers received more than 700 fireworks-related calls, said Jessica Cuchilla, spokeswoman for the police department. That was an increase of about 250 calls from 2022. To combat the increase, the city, like others, has a phone app to report illegal fireworks activity.
The department also has mapped out neighborhoods and addresses that previously have been a problem in an effort to step up patrols in that area. Letters to residents in those neighborhoods were sent prior to the holiday to warn them of the…
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