Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Interim police chiefs report heavy July 4 call volume, fireworks enforcement in Tigard
Summary
Interim Chief Bob Rogers and Assistant Chief Brad Sitton told council the July 4 celebration centered at Tigard High School and Cook Park drew thousands and produced a high call load, including roughly 60 fireworks-related calls, two seizures and three formal warnings.
Interim Police Chief Bob Rogers and Interim Assistant Chief Brad Sitton briefed the council on July 4 public-safety operations and enforcement.
Rogers said the celebration centered around Tigard High School and Cook Park and estimated "about 4 to 5,000 people were on or around that area enjoying the event." He told council officers increased visibility and called in the night shift early to provide additional patrols during one of the city's busiest nights of the year. The department logged 138 calls from 6 p.m. until about 2 a.m., and "about 60 fireworks calls," Rogers said.
Assistant Chief Brad Sitton provided operational detail: "Of the 60 calls, 30 of them were area info calls," he said, meaning officers responded to general locations to locate fireworks. Sitton said officers issued three formal warnings, seized fireworks in two incidents under ORS 480.120, and extinguished two fires (one in a vehicle and one in a tree, the latter with the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue). He called enforcement complex because officers generally must see a fireworks violation to charge it.
Councilors thanked the department for its staffing and public outreach. Rogers said the department will continue targeted communications about enforcement and noted penalties of up to $1,500 or criminal action as last-resort tools. The briefing closed with an offer to the council to echo the department's safety messages in upcoming communications.
