Pomona police crack down on illegal fireworks

POMONA, Calif. (FOX 11) - The sound of fireworks reverberated throughout the city as soon as the sun went down in Pomona.

Rounds and rounds of fireworks blasted off and while it looks like a good show, it's not legal.

"We don't want the fireworks to burn anything down or catch anything on fire," Sgt. Alyssa Bostrom, Pomona Police Department, said. "The other concern is we don't want the kids to get hurt with them."

Bostrom is working with a select group of officers assigned specially for firework enforcement. FOX 11 rode with her while she ticketed people for lightening off fireworks.

"I'd say between 10 p.m. and 2 o'clock in the morning all we do is chase the firework calls," she said.

Almost every corner we turned, we rolled up on someone setting off fireworks -- from sparklers on the ground to something much bigger.

"These are the ones that go up in the trees and catch on fire so these are the ones that we are really looking for," one detective said.

All fireworks are illegal in the city of Pomona, including the safe and sane kind.

Police started their special enforcement on Friday, when the long holiday weekend began and when it's over they expect to respond to roughly 500 calls for illegal fireworks.

This year the police department made a big push to remind residents of the dangers of fireworks. Signage throughout the city read in both English and Spanish that fireworks were illegal.

"Some of our neighboring cities they all sell them so people buy them come over to their houses and light them up not knowing what the risk is," a detective said.

The risk could be a fine up to $1,000 if you're caught and convicted.

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