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Riverside officials will again deploy drones to identify people setting off illegal fireworks this Fourth of July, building on a program city leaders say more than doubled citations last year and generated nearly $60,000 in collected fines.
The City Council received an update on the city's enforcement strategy during its June 16 meeting, when police officials said the city will largely replicate last year's operation while expanding its ability to respond to complaints across more neighborhoods.
The enforcement effort comes as the city continues emphasizing that all fireworks are illegal within Riverside city limits and carry administrative fines of up to $1,500.
"We're going to be doing the relatively same program this year," Riverside Police Lt. Chad Chinchilla told the council. "It was very successful last year."
The city's enforcement strategy relies on small flying drones to identify people using illegal fireworks and gather video evidence that code enforcement officers can use to issue administrative citations.
Last year, Riverside deployed five drone teams to neighborhoods selected based on 311 complaints and calls for service. Each team included two Riverside police drone pilots, a Riverside Fire Department representative and a code enforcement officer, Chinchilla said. Fire officials also operated two ground contact teams that confiscated fireworks and contacted violators.
According to city data, calls reporting illegal fireworks have steadily increased over the past three years, rising from 437 in 2023 to 477 in 2024 and 547 in 2025 during the June 27 through July 4 enforcement period. Meanwhile, 311 requests climbed from 160 to 307 and then 431 over the same period. Citations increased from 24 in 2024 to 65 in 2025 after the drone program was introduced.
"Our citations were remaining relatively stagnant until we implemented the drone program," Chinchilla said. "We were able to more than double the amount of citations that we issued for violations of fireworks."
Of the 65 citations issued last year, 52 came from drone teams, 12 from fire personnel and one from patrol officers, according to city data. Two citations were later dismissed after officials determined they lacked sufficient evidence, leaving 63 cases for prosecution.
Chinchilla said 14 citations were appealed but none were overturned because of the quality of the drone footage.
"The state of the evidence that we have — the video is just too good," he said. "There's no question at that point as to who was involved in the activity."
City officials reported collecting nearly $60,000 in fines, with additional unpaid citations referred to the state's Franchise Tax Board Intercept Program.
This year's operation will continue using five police drone teams, but officials have reorganized staffing to increase the number of fire department ground teams from two to between three and five. Each drone team will now consist of two police drone pilots and one code enforcement officer, while fire personnel focus on responding to locations identified by the drones.
Chinchilla said the city also recently received newer drones funded by the City Council that arrived too late to be used during last year's holiday.
The upgraded equipment offers longer flight times and no longer requires operators to remain near electrical outlets to recharge batteries.
"We should be able to take those drones and keep them up in the air longer and be able to move the locations where we're not stuck to a wall outlet," Chinchilla said.
Enforcement locations will continue to be based on historical complaint data, active emergency calls and 311 reports received during the holiday.
Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said residents in the Sycamore Canyon area were frustrated last year after repeatedly reporting illegal fireworks but seeing little enforcement presence.
"I would love to just see if we can assure that there will be some type of response into that community neighborhood if possible this year," she said.
Chinchilla said the improved drone technology should allow crews to reach neighborhoods that were difficult to cover last year.
Councilmember Steven Robillard also urged the city to position personnel near wild-land areas where fireworks pose elevated fire risks.
"We just need, if they're getting close to these high-burn areas or threat areas, to have a spotter in there to at least get someone over there real quickly to stop that activity," Robillard said.
The concern reflects Riverside's experience with the 2024 Hawarden Fire, the largest wildfire in city history. Investigators determined the blaze, which broke out in the Hawarden Hills neighborhood, was sparked by illegal fireworks set off by two teenagers, ultimately burning nearly 600 acres, destroying six structures and costing the city an estimated $11 million in damages and response costs. The fire pushed the fire department to revamp its emergency staffing and response protocols, including preemptive staffing increases during high fire-risk conditions.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson thanked city staff for continuing the program and also recognized Councilmember Jim Perry for advocating stronger fireworks enforcement.
In addition to enforcement, the city has launched a public education campaign warning residents about the fireworks ban and associated penalties.
The campaign includes social media posts from the city, police and fire departments, digital billboards, electronic signs, videos displayed at City Hall and Riverside Public Utilities facilities, website banners and messaging through the city's 311 app.
Civic Engagement Reporter who calls the Inland Empire home. Five years covering SoCal. APU journalism grad. Good conversations over coffee and stories that matter.
