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Kern County Fire and Wasco Police report May–June incidents; council debates fireworks enforcement and outreach
Summary
Kern County Fire reported 165 incidents in May in Wasco; Wasco Police reported 936 incidents through mid-June, dozens of arrests and DUI enforcement recognized by MADD. Council discussed illegal fireworks response options including investigations, door hangers and a social-media PSA.
Kern County Fire and Wasco Police briefed the Wasco City Council on public-safety activity and operations on June 17, and council members discussed enforcement options for illegal fireworks as the July 4 holiday approaches.
Kern County Fire Chief Albertson told the council there were 165 total incidents in Wasco during May: 17 fires, 98 medical calls and 50 other calls. He said an incident outside of town (off Gun Club Road) did not affect the city and that the fire department continues routine operations.
Assistant Chief Mora reported police activity for early June through June 17: 936 total incidents during the period, 572 calls for service, 364 officer-initiated incidents, 57 arrests and nine stolen-vehicle reports (eight recoveries). Mora said officers Uribe and Cook were recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for DUI enforcement; he said one officer had recorded 25 DUI arrests year-to-date and another 12.
Council members asked whether local police or probation had been contacted by federal immigration authorities; Assistant Chief Mora said the department had not been asked to assist ICE and that the department would consider requests case by case and would not participate in civil immigration-only arrests.
Council discussion focused heavily on illegal fireworks enforcement as the July 4 holiday neared. Chief Albertson said investigators would use methods similar to prior years to locate illegal fireworks users but that fire crews would not enforce fireworks violations where doing so would be unsafe. Council members and staff discussed several outreach and enforcement options:
- Door hangers distributed to households with information on where to report illegal fireworks (the council discussed repeating a door-hanger campaign used several years ago). Council Member Reyna volunteered to distribute door hangers in her district if staff printed them.
- A short social-media public-service advertisement (PSA) targeted by paid promotion on platforms like YouTube and Facebook; staff said budget authority exists for some promotional spending.
- Signage and handouts at legal fireworks booths to remind buyers that aerial or explosive fireworks are illegal.
Staff said they are coordinating messages with the fire department public-information officer and will post information on the city website. Chief Albertson and councilors noted that measuring the direct effect of outreach is difficult.
The council also discussed other public-safety items noted in staff reports: ongoing water-main valve replacements with short planned shutdowns and neighborhood notifications, and coordination on patrols during a community beautification event.
Councilors asked staff to follow up with specific implementation steps, including printing materials, coordinating with the police chief on presence at outreach events and using the city's social channels for paid promotion.
