Hanford rolls out drone-based enforcement and stacked administrative citations in illegal-fireworks campaign

Hanford officials on June 2 outlined a new enforcement strategy to curb illegal fireworks that combines public outreach with drone-based surveillance and amended administrative citations intended to make unlawful use and possession "not worth it." Chief Perkins told the City Council the program grew out of a sharp spike in calls, injuries and fires around recent July 4th holidays and is intended to reduce the human and property toll of illegal devices.

The department presented national-scale statistics for context—including a recent year-to-year increase in firework-related injuries and millions of dollars in preventable injury and property loss—and then described local incidents and resource strain. "We had eight fires within six hours," Chief Perkins said, noting one structure fire caused roughly $55,000 in damage and that multiple simultaneous fires stretched crews thin. "That's why we started this whole process."

Council received details of how enforcement will work. Staff said the council amended the Hanford Municipal Code to allow administrative citations that can be stacked by number of devices found in a person's possession. "If one person has more than 10, the maximum that we can charge is $10,000," the chief said, describing the limit that applies to general-law cities under California law. The city attorney and staff characterized these as administrative citations rather than criminal fines, with an on-the-spot citation payable within 30 days and an appeal process.

To gather evidence without risky confrontations, staff will deploy a three-drone rotation and two trained operators to patrol public space. According to the update, drones will fly at about 400 feet and can pinpoint aerial devices and drop a geolocation "pin" that the software integrates with the city's GIS and assessor-parcel-number records. "We can see the faces," the chief said, estimating the system's positional accuracy within roughly three feet and describing a process that pairs aerial footage with ground photos to build corroborating evidence before a citation is issued.

Councilmembers questioned technical limits and operational logistics, from battery capacity to how the city will handle devices lit in roadways or on property lines. Staff acknowledged edge cases exist and said the system is a pilot: evidence will be examined case by case and enforcement will prioritize safety. The city manager and finance staff said existing appropriations may cover initial costs but council discussed authorizing small appropriations for batteries or equipment if needed.

Officials emphasized outreach alongside enforcement: yard signs, vendor information nights for legal fireworks sellers and social-media and bilingual outreach materials are already in circulation. Chief Perkins said the goal is deterrence rather than revenue: "It's not about the money," he said. The city will report back after the July 5th weekend with numbers showing how the campaign performed.

The city did not take a formal vote on the campaign at the meeting; staff requested the council's continued support as enforcement begins.