City reviews July 4 fireworks enforcement: 117 citations issued, 3,300 pounds seized

Paramount’s public safety team reviewed its July 4 after‑action report on enforcement against illegal fireworks and the council heard details of enforcement, outreach and outcomes.

Public Safety Director Maggie Mattson said the city strengthened outreach this year with flyers, message boards, neighborhood‑watch briefings and a fireworks seminar for approved vendors. She reported that LASD received 58 calls for service from July 1–4, with 49 on July 4 itself, and that a dedicated dispatcher handled a significant portion of the volume. “From July 1 to July 4th of this year, LASD received a total of 58 calls for service with 49 taking place on July 4,” Mattson said.

Mattson summarized enforcement totals: between June 21 and July 4 the special assignment team issued 117 administrative citations — 46 for selling illegal fireworks and 71 for social‑host violations — and seized approximately 3,300 pounds of illegal fireworks that were transported to the LA County Fire Station for destruction. She also noted outreach metrics, reporting the city’s social media campaign reached about 14,900 accounts and generated roughly 2,800 interactions.

Council members asked about call‑count duplication and how calls tied to the same block were treated; Mattson said staff logged locations and that the system in use did not automatically de‑duplicate repeated reports. The council thanked LASD and public safety personnel for enforcement efforts and publicity that likely reduced complaints compared with prior years.

Mattson said the city continues a reward of $500–$1,000 for tips leading to enforcement, but this year no caller was eligible under reward criteria.