Report: 110 firework citations in Salinas issued for 4th of July, largest being over $37,000
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- The City of Salinas Fireworks Enforcement Operation released their After Action Report for their 4th of July enforcement period.
The Salinas Fire Department reported a decrease in the report of fire incidents from June 1st to July 15th compared to 2022. In total, they responded to 95 fire incidents versus 134 in 2022.
Fifteen of those calls were for structure fires, compared to 56 in 2022. Combined, they received more than 564 911 dispatch calls and website/tip line alerts.
Overall, they said illegal fireworks activity remained the same. They attribute this to the 4th of July being on a Monday, the increased costs of illegal fireworks and the public receiving the outreach message.
In total, the task force stated that 110 Administrative Citations were issued totaling $322,500 in fines. The largest single fine was $37,500.
Education and enforcement expenses for staff totaled $23,496. They spent $45,772 for 2022; notably absent was Salinas Police not conducting overtime patrols and the cut in outside services.
To see the full slide show, see below:
Salinas Police 265 reports of illegal fireworks to issue citations soon
Salinas Police said they increased staffing for the 4th of July and had a drone team shoot video to investigate illegal firework use.
The city told KION that they received 265 reports of illegal fireworks: 76 by email, 99 by text, 72 by voicemail, and 18 through the SalinasConnect mobile application.
Police said properties will receive citations in the coming days, and some locations will receive citations in the tens of thousands of dollars for multiple violations at a single location. Salinas Fire anticipates handing at least $400,000 in fines this year.
These are just preliminary numbers and a full report will be given to the City Council in August.
"Last year, the City issued almost $355,000 in citations for illegal fireworks. The citation for each illegal firework is $1,250 plus a $250 noise citation," said the city.
Police encourage residents to keep reporting illegal fireworks here.
