City of Fremont 4^th of July Fireworks Enforcement

During this year's 4^th of July holiday weekend, several City departments, including Fremont Fire Department, Fremont Police Department, and Parks and Recreation Services, worked in collaboration to deploy additional public safety resources for fireworks enforcement. The City is grateful for the community's support in reporting illegal fireworks activities, thus allowing our departments to respond to these activities before they result in any serious injuries or damages to lives and properties.

Over the holiday weekend, Fremont Police Department deployed additional patrol officers to assist with general fireworks enforcement, including patrolling high-priority fire areas and heavy complaint areas. In addition to the increase in patrol officers, the Department deployed a team of six police personnel dedicated to fireworks enforcement during the peak hours from 4:00 pm on July 2 through 2:00 am on July 5, 2022.

During these peak hours, Fremont Police received and responded to over 147 fireworks complaints, including 40 requests from the Fremont App and over 100 requests through the Fremont Police emergency and non-emergency phone lines. Officers also conducted an additional 20 proactive enforcement stops in fireworks hot spots and locations where fireworks activities were suspected.

The results of the enforcement effort include:

• Confiscation of over 2,260 counts of fireworks, including safe and sane fireworks and aerial mortars
• Documentation of 10 police reports: reports were documented when fireworks were confiscated, and the owner was identified
• Issuance of 7 citations: citations were issued when the responsible party was caught in the act or admitted to the act

Due to the nature of these activities, officers were unable to locate the responsible parties in all instances. Additionally, individuals often fled upon contact or would not claim ownership of the fireworks. As a result, most officer contacts were used for educational opportunities and verbal warnings.

Our Parks and Recreation Services was also proactive in preventing fireworks. In Central Park, "No Fireworks" signs were placed at all entrances, and park rangers conducted active patrols throughout the evening. There was one fireworks incident on 4^th of July in Central Park where park rangers observed a few aerial fireworks from a distance. Our rangers immediately approached the area, and by the time they arrived, the responsible parties had left. Our rangers located and extinguished two aerial fireworks boxes that were left behind.

Public safety is our utmost priority, and we are thankful for the community's support in reporting illegal firework activities.