(This content was created with the help of AI.) A heads-up to anyone thinking of sneaking in a big, illegal boom over the Fourth of July in California: Police in Riverside and at least a dozen other cities are flying drones this weekend to spot and record people setting off prohibited fireworks.
The aerial surveillance is a fast-growing law enforcement tactic, the Los Angeles Times reports. Riverside credits its drone program, now in its second year, with a jump in fireworks citations: from 24 in 2024 to 65 last year, as calls and app complaints about illegal fireworks also rose.
Get caught there and face a fine of $1,500—and under the city’s “social host” rule, the property owner is on the hook even if someone else lit the fuse…