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Government Crime United States

Drones Used by California Cities to Patrol for Illegal Fireworks and Issue Fines (sfgate.com) 54

"California residents who lit illegal fireworks over the July 4 holiday may be in for a nasty surprise in the mail thanks to covert fire department operations," reports SFGate.

"A number of California cities, including Sacramento, have begun using drones to locate people shooting off illegal fireworks." From Wednesday to Saturday night, the Sacramento Fire Department's special fireworks task force patrolled the streets with unmarked cars and drones, focusing on neighborhoods where they've had prior complaints. Task force officers and the drones took photos of the illegal activity, and within 30 days the property owner where the fireworks were used could receive a fine in the mail...

This year, Sacramento upped the fine to $1,000 for the first firework, $2,500 for the second and $5,000 per firework after that. If you lit a firework on city property, such as a park or a school, the fine goes up to $10,000 each. There's no limit to how many fines you can be issued... This year, a number of cities across the state announced they would be using drones to find scofflaws, among them Indio, Riverside, Hemet, Brea and towns in Tulare County...

Fox40 reported on Saturday that around 60 citations were being prepared in Sacramento, with more likely on the way as fire officials review surveillance footage.

Last year for illegal fireworks, one Sacramento-area resident received a $100,000 fine.

Drones Used by California Cities to Patrol for Illegal Fireworks and Issue Fines

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  • by Anonymous Coward
    There's so many problems here and this is what they're concerned with.
    • If it's a fire issue they're concerned with, they should have the drones surveilling the power company operations, and arsonists. That's were ALL of the bush fires stem from.
      • Also, they could be used to stop some power hungry lunatic from fomenting an insurrection on federal property.
      • by Anonymous Coward
        You have groups like Greenpeace that won't allow the power company to cut the trees down.
      • I think they're happy to do something about arsonists. But as for the power companies with the way the voters work they can't do shit about them. Every time anyone tries to regulate the power companies just spend a ton of money buying off politicians and people get distracted by moral panics and vote for those politicians instead of anyone that would actually take control of the power companies.

        Remember it doesn't do any good for you to put up all those drones, what the power companies are doing isn't i
      • That's were ALL of the bush fires stem from.

        Or, you know, it could be improper forest management and leaving all that fuel on the ground,

        But maybe we can make up the losses from forest fires by fining teenagers. WTF?

    • It's a serious problem in some communities, especially in fire-prone areas.

    • Fines. Itâ(TM)s about the fines.

  • “If we see multiple fireworks being used at a single property, we can stack the violations based upon how many fireworks they're using,” SFD Fire Marshal Jason Lee told KCRA. “So, it could be thousands of dollars per location.”

    It’s no idle threat. Last summer, Elk Grove officials announced they’d used to a drone to bust one resident, who racked up $100,000 in fines. This year, a number of cities across the state announced they would be using drones to find scofflaws, among them Indio, Riverside, Hemet, Brea and towns in Tulare County.

    yeah... that's some good proportionality there. this is 80's drug war level logic...

    (and no i don't do fireworks, and yes i live in low-density urban neighborhood where there are massive amounts of fireworks legal and otherwise and there are remnants of fireworks on my car, the driveway and the roof. so i agree it's annoying and possibly dangerous, but this kind of enforcement for something SO widespread is beyond obnoxious.)

    These people are almost as bad as the southeast US "civil forfeiture" cops

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by ambrandt12 ( 6486220 )

      So, even with drones, you still have to have officers out there... so, no reduction of manpower, no saving on the gas bill for those cars, and you have to have expensive drones for each car. Yeah, fining people for each firework seen could probably offset the massive debt they have from handing everything to the illegals.

      • yeah, fining people for each firework seen could probably offset the massive debt they have from handing everything to the illegals.

        What?. U got a source for your nonsense?

  • All over the city when they hear a boom, or see a flash of light in the sky, driving over there, then they are gone. Plus the drone can pinpoint with GPS where it is.
  • This is American, darn it! The answer is more explosives. What was the question again?

  • by SeaFox ( 739806 ) on Sunday July 06, 2025 @07:18PM (#65501752)

    ...within 30 days the property owner where the fireworks were used could receive a fine in the mail

    ...

    If you lit a firework on city property, such as a park or a school, the fine goes up to $10,000 each.

    Who are they fining in these cases if they are doing this covertly and not getting ID from the perpetrators?

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Hey City. I lit some fireworks at Valley Oak. Lovely city property. Nice bathrooms and everything.

    I hope your drone got a good shot of nothing-useful-to-cite-me-by you taxpayer-money wasting shitheads.
    I'll even help you out. I was wearing a Dodgers championship cap. Hope your drone got a good pic of that.

    Losers. The ones without talent work for government and spend taxpayers' dollars and accomplish nothing.
    At least Trump is meeting is goal of "removing brown people." Following the law or the constit

  • Because I am drunk, this Independence Night,
    I watch the fireworks from far away,
    from a high hill, across the moony green
    Of lakes and other hills to the town harbor,
    Where stately illuminations are flung aloft,
    One light shattering in a hundred lights
    Minute by minute. The reason I am crying,

  • by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * on Sunday July 06, 2025 @08:23PM (#65501876) Homepage Journal

    Americans: Fireworks are illegal? Fuckoff, I'm lighting them in the street then.

    Worse: some dumbass caused a fire near LA by buying professional show grade fireworks without knowing how to use them.

    If he had access to a fireworks store (like I shop at in New Hampshire) he probably would have just bought those.

    I buy consumer mortars and those are *plenty* big for home use.

    Much kudos to the Chinese who make very reliable pyrotechnics at quite a fair price. I only spent $160 this year despite the tariffs.

    • I'm happy our local PD and FD look the other way despite pretty much every firework being illegal in our state. Pretty much the entire 4th of July Weekend is usually open game. Just don't do anything stupid and you're fine. Start a fire? Sure then you get a fine. Someone lose a hand? That's a fine. Shoot them off safely and responsibly... Fuck right off.

      Some cities have started cracking down. And exactly what you described happens instead.. we've seen people launching them FROM CARS (Roman candles and such)

    • I guarantee you he would have still bought the professional grade stuff because why would he waste his time on that week consumer shit when the pro grade is out there?

      It's a lot easier to say sure go ahead and legalize fireworks when you are in New Hampshire as opposed to drought stricken California.

      Never mind the fact that the stuff you're describing could just as easily start a large fire. I don't think he realized what the Southwest is like it really doesn't take much the whole bloody region is b
  • The point of the fines is to get people to stop shooting off fireworks given the enormous fire danger. Unfortunately you only get fined if you are caught. So this story is threatening people by making getting caught a reasonable possibility.

    We live in country where there are people who do things illegal and figure they will just pay the fine if caught. Its just a cost. Some of those people are rich enough that they can afford to risk a very high fine to have a little fun.

    So you have to make it more likel

  • California doesn't deserve to participate in the freedom festivities. I'm sure the state needs all the money it can get from it's citizens. You know, to give them all the social services it gives to those in need.
  • People often walk 100 feet down the street from their residence. Who gets fined post facto when the illicit fireworkage was in the middle of yhe road, eliminating the possibility of conclusive attribution to one residence? What if they were on public land, like at a park or in a parking lot?
  • Can't people just aim the fireworks at the drones? Just saying.
    Also, victimless crimes are BS. Reckless endangerment, okay, great. Going 100 MPH in your car is dangerous even if you don't crash. But anyone who knows anything about fireworks knows how to light them off safely so leave us alone! Glad I don't live in this nanny state!

"Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what *can* you believe?!" -- Bullwinkle J. Moose

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