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| Officials crack down on illegal fireworks |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 02 July 2008 | |
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At a glance
As in other cities across the U.S., the streets of Patterson fill up with the shrieking, sparkling and popping of fireworks the week before Independence Day. While the fiery shows can be a lot of fun, pyrotechnics that fly into the air or explode can start fires and hurt people, so local fire agencies and police are teaming up to crack down on illegal fireworks displays. “It’s zero tolerance,” Patterson Fire Marshal Steve Hall said Monday. Last year, the local fire department confiscated between 15 and 20 pounds of illegal fireworks, Hall said, which he thought was down from the previous year. He said he has noticed a drop in the use of illegal fireworks since 2005, when the local fire department confiscated $5,000 worth of fireworks, including a $1,000 stash from a San Leandro man, and six people were cited for possessing illegal pyrotechnics. That was the first year of a countywide task force created to crack down on illegal fireworks use. The program — supported by participating fire and law enforcement agencies, by nonprofits who sell fireworks and by legal fireworks companies Phantom Fireworks and TNT — pays for a public-service announcement, informational brochures and extra patrol units during the days leading up to July 4. The program seems to be working, task force members say. Patterson Police Services reported only one citation in town last year, though it is possible that out-of-town deputies might also have cited people locally. Stanislaus County Sheriff’s spokesman Royjindar Singh said the sheriff’s department plans to have one deputy unit patrolling Thursday through Saturday to look for illegal fireworks in Patterson. At the same time, three two-person units will patrol the county’s unincorporated areas. For the first time this year, residents in nearby Modesto will be issued a $750 fine — similar to a traffic ticket — if they are caught with up to 25 pounds of illegal fireworks. They may face larger fines if they are caught with a larger stash. The automatic fine will make it easier to punish those with illegal fireworks, task force spokesman Dennis Revell said. Traditionally, the county district attorney must press charges for a fine to be issued. That’s still the case everywhere else in Stanislaus County, though other jurisdictions are working to change their laws to make them similar to Modesto’s, Revell said. In the meantime, local residents still can be charged with a misdemeanor and face a $500 to $1,000 fine for possessing up to 25 pounds of illegal fireworks. If they have more than 25 pounds, they face felony charges and a $1,000 to $5,000 fine.  Patterson Knights of Columbus member Victor Camacho reaches for a family pack of TNT fireworks inside the group's fireworks booth. Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator All legal fireworks bear the “safe and sane” label, indicating they are approved by the state fire marshal. They can be found at the 16 fireworks stands throughout town. Many of those stands got up and running this past weekend. Any fireworks that leave the ground or explode are illegal, Hall said. It is also illegal to throw legal fireworks, he said. People can turn in illegal fireworks at local fire stations up until Thursday with no questions asked, Hall said. Similar requests have been successful in the past, he said. “Normally, we have moms and dads who come in and say Junior had (illegal fireworks) in the closet,” he said. Often, illegal fireworks come from Mexico or from other states, Hall said. In the case of the $1,000 stash found in 2005, they were sold in the Bay Area. So far, Hall said, this has been a quiet year as far as illegal fireworks, and the local fire department had not confiscated any illegal pyrotechnics as of Monday. “That’s the way we like to keep it,” Hall said.
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