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Gardena police outline fireworks enforcement plan ahead of July 4; department urges reporting via hotline
Summary
Gardena Police presented an annual fireworks enforcement plan emphasizing education and enforcement, extra patrols, social-host letters to property owners, and three ways for residents to report illegal fireworks.
The Gardena Police Department on June 24 presented its annual fireworks enforcement plan ahead of the Fourth of July, telling the City Council the department will emphasize both education and enforcement to reduce illegal fireworks use.
The department said only "safe and sane" fireworks are legal inside Gardena city limits, and their permitted use is restricted to July 4 between noon and 10 p.m. Officers said enforcement will include extra patrols, undercover teams, coordination with the fire department and code enforcement, follow-up investigations and a social-host letter program that allows the city to pursue property owners who routinely allow illegal fireworks on their property.
Why it matters: Police noted illegal fireworks cause increased calls for service, noise and risk to seniors, veterans, pets and working families. The department said calls for illegal-firework incidents have trended downward over the past six years, and at the same point this year they had recorded 62 calls related to illegal fireworks.
How to report illegal fireworks: The department encouraged residents to call the non-emergency line at (310) 323-7911 when illegal fireworks are in progress; it also identified a fireworks hotline at (310) 217-6190 and the Gardena Direct app for non-urgent reports. Staff emphasized that real-time incidents should be reported via the non-emergency line to enable immediate police response.
The department said prior enforcement yielded significant recoveries of illegal fireworks; last year, staff said, officers recovered what the department described as the largest seizure of illegal fireworks in the state, about 75 tons. Officials said they do not expect to match that figure this year but will be active in enforcement.
What the city is doing: Police said they will post social-media reminders, use electronic message boards and partner with community organizations and volunteers such as Neighborhood Watch and CERT to raise awareness before and during the holiday.
