A collaborative effort between Riverside Police, Riverside Fire, and the City’s Code Enforcement Division resulted in 65 administrative citations for illegal fireworks, each carrying a $1,500 fine.
With the support of amended Riverside Municipal Code sections 1.18.010, 1.18.020, and 1.18.040, small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) were used in the days leading up to and on July 4th to assist police, fire, and code enforcement teams in detecting, recording, and documenting illegal fireworks violations from the air. Five enforcement teams were positioned throughout the city, focusing on areas with a history of high illegal fireworks activity, as well as locations identified through dispatch calls and 311 Call Center complaints.
When a sUAS recorded a violation, teams collected video evidence to pinpoint the property of origin. Before issuing a citation, each case was carefully verified by the sUAS operator, visual observer, code enforcement officer, and often additional police and fire personnel…