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Yucaipa police, fire report rising call volumes, app adds fireworks-reporting feature; council readies enforcement
Summary
Police and fire chiefs reported higher April–May call volumes, continued transient outreach and planned enforcement for illegal fireworks. City staff added a fireworks reporting feature to the Yucaipa mobile app; council and staff said additional deputies, code-enforcement officers and fire resources will be used to enforce a new fines ordinance.
City police and fire officials briefed the Yucaipa City Council on public-safety activity for April and May 2025 and described new tools and enforcement for illegal fireworks as the July 4 season approaches.
Captain Walker (police) reported roughly 3,672 calls for service in April and 3,906 in May, with an average emergency response time of about five minutes over the two-month period. He outlined Part I crime counts and arrest totals for the months and said the department conducted a DUI checkpoint on May 23 funded by the Office of Traffic Safety. Walker also described the department’s solutions-oriented policing (SOP) team outreach: 29 transient-related contacts in April and 44 in May, and help securing shelter for several people contacted.
Chief Malinowski (fire) reported an increase in calls handled by the fire department (783 calls in April and 819 in May). He highlighted seasonal wildfire risk, described recent major incidents (vehicle extrication, residential structure fire) and said the department has been preparing public information (including a recent wildfire-focused podcast) to improve resident awareness of defensible-space and insurance issues.
City staff announced a new feature in the Yucaipa mobile app allowing residents to report illegal fireworks directly to the city and to attach photos. Staff and public-safety leaders said the new reporting option is intended to supplement sheriff’s dispatch reports and code-enforcement processes.
Council and staff discussed enforcement capacity. Trevor Benson, public-safety manager, and police staff said they had contacted Los Angeles-area agencies to try to verify call-for-service records for similar events and that locating geolocated calls tied to promoter events can be challenging; they reported no clear, event‑tied calls discovered in that outreach. Staff also said increased enforcement resources will be available this season: additional code‑enforcement officers, deputies and CAL FIRE resources to assist with fireworks enforcement. City staff urged residents to use the app to submit photos and location information to help enforcement.
Council members and public commenters emphasized the goal of preventing fires in the city’s high-fire-hazard environment and noted confusion in some public channels about the new fines and enforcement approach; staff and the mayor asked residents to treat the higher fines as a deterrent rather than a revenue source.
