By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights Police say calls for service regarding illegal fireworks decreased by 54 percent over this past Fourth of July, with the department only issuing two citations for illegal fireworks violations.
The Police Department said only $2000 in fines were issued for illegal fireworks over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, along with a warning letter, during an annual illegal fireworks update given to the Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Citrus Heights Police Chief Alex Turcotte said that the goal of increasing the penalties last year was about education and curbing behavior, not about collecting money, and that for the Fourth of July occurring on a Saturday, during the country’s 250th anniversary, he was “very happy with the measures our community took to try to celebrate responsibly.”
This year 164 calls for service regarding illegal fireworks came into the dispatch center, compared to 360 in 2025, representing a 54 percent decrease, Turcotte said. Police officers only had enough information to respond to 27 incidents. Turcotte attributed the low volume of response to the fact that the holiday fell on a Saturday, which is normally busy for police officers already.
Citrus Heights Police incident logs show 118 fireworks calls into dispatch between July 2 and July 8, excluding any calls that were cancelled, or considered duplicate calls.
Along with two citations, a courtesy letter was also sent as a warning to one individual, Turcotte said.
Each device discharged is considered a separate violation based on the recently updated illegal fireworks ordinances, which state that fines are issued per device.
Last year, Police said 49 citations were issued over the holiday weekend and that 360 illegal calls for service were logged regarding illegal fireworks. Citrus Heights Police Logs between July 3 and July 5, 2025, show almost 300 illegal fireworks calls, with the majority of calls occurring on July 4,
Of the 49 citations issued in 2025, 21 were observed through the use of drones in the air. Only three citations for illegal fireworks were listed on July 4, 2024, police incident logs show.
Throughout the last 12 months, internal review brought down the number of fines issued in 2025 from around $300,000 to $103,000, Turcotte said, adding that the records unit has assisted in both helping track data and helping those who wish to protest their fines do so without having to first put up a portion of the fine prior to having a hearing.
Turcotte said Wednesday that the department “tries to be reasonable” and attribute fines to those who are most responsible for the property based on available evidence through internal reviews.
The records unit has also set up payment plan options, allowing people to pay for fines over time and thus far, $25,000 in fines has been collected with $78,000 still outstanding.
As part of its proactive measures, the Police Department utilized Unmanned Aircraft System pilots who were specifically trained to operate drones in difficult airspace. When deployed over Citrus Heights, drones were able to take footage of illegal fireworks, and with the help of a map overlay, code enforcement officers were able to identify addresses where illegal fireworks were being discharged.
Residents in the city were also able to use the SeeClickFix app to send in reports of illegal fireworks online and to indicate whether they were willing to be a witness and attest to the crime. Witness attestation requires witnesses to be willing to verbally attest to the crime in a hearing.
The SeeClickFix online application saw 26 total reports in 2026, compared to 61 reports last year.
