San Jose Police will use drones to ramp up enforcement on illegal fireworks
With the 4th of July just around the corner, the city of San Jose is stepping up its efforts to stop the use of illegal fireworks with more eyes on the ground and in the skies.
Jeff Levine has lived in San Jose for over a decade and said the illegal fireworks problem has gotten out of control.
"It's awful. It's dangerous. It's illegal. Cars tossing … Anything from the little fire crackers to the big explosive M-1000s out in the street, and they zoom off, and then they blow up, and cars come in and are swerving to avoid the explosion," Levine said.
But this year, the city is launching a more coordinated ground and aerial effort.
And for the first time this 4th of July, San Jose Police will launch drones to capture footage of illegal fireworks use, joining several other cities like Elk Grove.
The built-in GPS will allow the city to locate hot spots and go after associated property owners.
"The information gathered from the drones will be real-time, so they will be relayed to the operator," said police spokesperson Stacie Shih. "And that's the message we want to relay. Have fun on the 4th of July but be safe. We'll be watching. Fireworks are illegal in the city of San Jose and have always been."
And the city's largest neighborhood group is supporting and participating in increasing enforcement efforts.
"We, as a neighborhood group, along with the city, want to make sure that more people are involved in reporting illegal fireworks use," said Steve Spivak.
Spivak is part of San Jose's All District Leadership Group that is working to encourage neighbors to report illegal fireworks using the 311 app, which now has a dedicated tab just for that purpose.
Reports from the app will help police and fire to track hotspots, and this year, code enforcement officers will be issuing citations directly to homes connected to illegal fireworks use.
And for neighbors who are afraid to speak up, the 311 app allows reports to be made anonymously.
"I get it — People are scared of retaliation. But it helps when the city backs us up and makes reporting easy and safe," Spivak said.
As the 4th of July approaches, San Jose hopes that with stronger community involvement and a few more eyes in the sky, this holiday can be a little quieter and a lot safer.
But if it's not, San Jose is also planning to use its social host ordinance to hold property owners liable, plus fines and even possible citations for spectators.
Fire officials said "safe and sane" fireworks are illegal in San Jose. Violators could face fines of up to $1,000.
Illegally selling fireworks could lead to jail time and $50,000 in fines.
