Fireworks are illegal in San Diego County, but that hasn’t stopped some residents from lighting up on the Fourth of July.
This year, three North County cities enacted tougher fireworks laws.
It has become such a nuisance that Denise Rolan and a few residents banded together two years ago to form a Facebook group called Escondido Fights Illegal Fireworks.
“They’re not paying attention to the law,” she said.
The group successfully pushed Escondido to increase fines from $100 to $1,000 per violation. The city also added the use of drones for enforcement.
Rolan, who is also CEO of the nonprofit Escondido Fire Safe Council, said that has not made a noticeable difference.
“But I was very encouraged when my friend called about illegal fireworks, and she said all of a sudden there was a drone overhead,” she said.
Rolan thinks the Escondido Police Department was overwhelmed by the number of calls. It took her several tries before she got through to the dispatcher.
“They'll have a learning curve like, ‘OK, next time we need more operators,’” she said. “We might need more drones. I don't know what the data will tell us.”
Escondido isn’t the only city in North County with a new ordinance against illegal fireworks. Oceanside and Carlsbad also expanded enforcement.
“We’ll be issuing four administrative citations,” Oceanside police Capt. Nick Núñez said.
Earlier this year, the city increased fines to $1000 for the first offense, $2,500 for the second and $5,000 for the third. Though the fines are halved for the first year.
Núñez said that it seemed to have worked.
“We've actually received a couple of emails from citizens thanking us for the enforcement efforts that we made this year, and said that they've noticed a reduction in fireworks this year,” he said.
The ability to use drones also helped, Núñez said.
“In previous years … officers would have to drive to the location,” he said. “Typically speaking, once officers are seen coming down the block or respond, people take off, run inside.”
Meanwhile, Carlsbad and Escondido officials said they are still combing through the data and do not yet have information.
