WOODLAND, Calif. — Woodland police reported more than $230,000 in citations following a major crackdown on illegal fireworks.
The city implemented a new policy for 2024 that allows for more fines, and those that didn't get caught, could still get citations in the mail.
The Fourth of July holiday may have come and gone, but for those who hosted illegal firework shows, Woodland police said it's not over yet.
The city implemented a new policy this year. Those lighting or possessing illegal fireworks could get fined $1,000 per device.
On the Fourth and Fifth of July, more than 30 citations were issued that totaled over $100,000.
"We did have a lot of extra officers on the street. We had our drone team out. We dedicated as many officers as we could," said Deputy Police Chief Dallas Hyde.
Hyde said the biggest ticket of the night was $34,000. Just one day before that, there was a $120,000 citation and an arrest for possession of dangerous fireworks.
If you didn't get a citation that day, Woodland police said people could still get one through the mail.
"We have footage from our drones; we have footage from the community. It's not, what happened on the Fourth, that's going to be the end of it. You could see something in the mail pretty soon," Hyde said.
Woodland Fire Marshal Matt Flint said the ordinance really slowed down illegal firework use this year. In past years, the booms went off for weeks and led to fires.
"Last year, we had a lot of grass fires due to illegal fireworks," Flint said. "This year, we only had one firework incident where someone put safe and sane fireworks in a trash can without soaking them properly."
Flint said the community played a big role in getting illegal fireworks under control this year, reporting them through an app called "Nail 'em."
"Couple of people that we issued citations to is, 'Well, we're not hurting anyone. It's not that big of a deal.' Well, I would argue that a couple of years ago, we had a family right here in woodland who lost their home to a fire, so it was a big deal to them. If it's a big deal to them and it's a big deal to the community, then it's a big deal to us," Hyde said.
This is the first year Woodland Fire Department and Woodland Police Department have used the app to respond to illegal fireworks. Users can file a report, submit the location and provide photos. With that and the drone footage, they'll follow up and issue citations.
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