Five years ago, Richmond Police Chief Timothy Simmons was working as a patrol captain on the Fourth of July when he got a call about illegal fireworks.
“They were pulling pallets out of a U-Haul truck in a residential neighborhood,” he recalled in an interview with Richmondside. “Pallets were coming out, and they had the kind of bottle rockets used in major organized fireworks shows. On each pallet there were about 40 fireworks.”
Simmons said after a neighbor turned a garden hose on the fireworks, the culprits turned a pallet on its side and lit it, directing the explosives toward the neighbor’s house.
“Turning them into missiles, basically,” he said.
This scene might sound extreme, but as many Richmond residents will attest it’s not unheard of this time of year.
“Every year on July 4 and sometimes days before, I stand terrified in my backyard, watching embers rain down from fireworks,” wrote North and East Richmond resident Julie Freestone in comments submitted to the Richmond City Council.
Around the holiday large street parties are often held in neighborhoods such as the Iron Triangle, Central District and North and East Richmond.
“They’ll close off the street on either side, they’ll even put cars up, and then they’ll put these pallets out and they’ll start launching fireworks in the middle of the street,” Simmons said. “There’s people drinking. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
For years, residents have complained that little was being done to stop this while police said they didn’t have enough officers on patrol. But now, for a second year, city officials and community advocates are taking a more coordinated approach to the problem, combining drone enforcement, targeted street patrols, public education campaigns and, potentially, tougher penalties.
New this year: A fulltime drone officer
In February 2025, Freestone founded Stop Illegal Fireworks, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending the use of illegal fireworks in Richmond. California law distinguishes between “dangerous” fireworks, which are always illegal, and “safe and sane” fireworks, which are illegal in most cities and punishable by a minimum fine of $1,000.
richmond hosts july 3rd fireworks show and more summer fun
Frustrated by the continued activity and apparent lack of consequences, Freestone decided it was time to pressure city council members to do something.
“It’s a habit,” Freestone said. “People are used to getting away with doing it without being caught.”
Last year, Richmond police deployed drones as first responders to fireworks calls. Rather than sending officers directly into potentially volatile situations, drones capture aerial footage that helps police identify suspects and issue citations after the fact.
“We can get that aerial view and try to find out who’s doing it and either confiscate and/or write a citation.”
— Richmond Police Chief Timothy Simmons (Drone fireworks still courtesy of Richmond Police Department Facebook)
Simmons said the department now has a fulltime drone officer.
“We are in a place now where if we had a call for fireworks right now, we have somebody here 40 hours a week,” he said. “We can get that aerial view and try to find out who’s doing it and either confiscate and/or write a citation.”
In addition to deploying more officers on the Fourth of July, the department is trying to identify potential fireworks activity before the holiday. The city has also launched its own Stop Illegal Fireworks webpage emphasizing Richmond’s zero-tolerance policy.
Last year city’s enforcement efforts paid off
Their efforts produced tangible results last year. Police issued 13 fireworks-related citations, made two arrests and seized more than $10,000 worth of fireworks. According to a 2025 police report, there was less activity in the days leading up to and following the holiday, though a brush fire in Point Richmond near the end of the month was attributed to fireworks.
“However, the night of July 4th itself remained consistent with past activity levels in some areas,” the city concluded.
Freestone said she is encouraged by the police department’s efforts.
“They totally stepped up last year,” she said. “They opened up a command center, they had boots on the ground, they had drones up in the air, and they’ve committed to doing that again.”
The police department has heat maps showing areas with historically high levels of fireworks activity. According to Michelle Milam, Richmond’s crime prevention manager, this helps them take a more targeted approach.
“We don’t really see people doing it in their backyards anymore, it’s more these street parties,” she said. “Typically it’s the same spots year after year where we’re seeing this activity, so that helps us identify where to do our outreach and have some extra patrol.”
Freestone’s group also waged a visible public information campaign in 2025, printing yard signs to spread an anti-fireworks message and pushing the city to post electronic reader boards around town making it clear that fireworks would not be tolerated.
‘Feels like they’re in a war zone’ residents say
For residents such as Janice Haugen, a member of Stop Illegal Fireworks, the issue goes far beyond noisy holiday celebrations. For her it’s a serious health risk.
“In 2018 or 2019, before COVID, I was biking from the Richmond BART Station to where I live in Marina Bay,” she recalled. “It was July and it wasn’t even dark yet, and the smoke and all the nasty stuff from the fireworks was so bad that my lungs still do not feel normal.”
Haugen says that in addition to poor air quality and increased fire risk, illegal fireworks traumatize pets and wildlife and can be deeply distressing for people with PTSD, dementia and autism.
“We have a whole group of 30 or 40 residents who joined the group because they wanted to help do something,” Freestone said. “One of the women talked about the fact that she has an elderly father and he’s just completely traumatized by the sound. And that’s a common story.”
“It causes people to feel like they’re in a war zone,” Milam said.
Last fall, Freestone emailed city council members asking them to adopt a stricter ordinance including higher fines for fireworks, similar to the ones enacted in neighboring cities such as San Pablo and Pinole.
“There is a very low fine right now and the idea was to toughen the whole thing up,” she said.
The proposal was taken up by council member Cesar Zepeda and co-sponsored by council members Soheila Bana and Jamelia Brown. In May, the City Council approved the proposal, directing staff to amend Richmond’s current ordinance.
The new regulations, which won’t be in effect this year, would increase fines for first-time offenders from $250 to $1,000 and impose fines of $2,500 for subsequent violations within the same year. It would also create a social host liability provision, which penalizes property owners and party hosts even if they are not the ones setting fireworks off.
Assuming it’s eventually approved it will bring Richmond more in line with neighboring cities that have stronger penalties and social host provisions.
“Richmond likes to lead, but we’re sort of lagging on this,” Haugen said.
Freestone also asked the council to support a letter urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to work with Nevada to reduce the flow of illegal fireworks into California.
“They did approve that letter and it was sent,” she said. “That’s another indication that they are starting to take this seriously.”
Last year, Bana, who has been active in advocating to prevent wildfires, suggested the city follow suit with cities such as Pinole and establish a drone light show that would take place in her district, which includes parts of East Richmond and Hilltop.
Building awareness multiculturally
While tougher enforcement has become a priority, city officials say penalties alone won’t solve the problem if the message doesn’t get out to the whole community.
Recently, the police department’s strategy has included partnering with community organizations, neighborhood groups and local leaders to spread information about the dangers of illegal fireworks to Spanish speakers.
“We’ve really been ramping up our education,” Simmons said. “We’re working with the fire department, we’re working with neighboring agencies, San Pablo and El Cerrito, and with Contra Costa Fire to really push the message around.”
The effort includes yard and window signs in English and Spanish, social media campaigns, radio announcements, pamphlets and outreach through neighborhood councils. Milam said reaching Spanish-speaking residents has become a key component of the city’s strategy and reflects their overall goal of becoming more language-inclusive.
“Richmond is a very diverse community with a lot of different languages,” she said. “Part of our work is to reach all of these communities effectively.”
The police department has partnered with organizations including St. Cornelius Church, the Latina Center, the 23rd Street Merchants Association and Spanish-language neighborhood watch groups to distribute signs and educational materials. Residents can also pick up signs at the police department and city hall.
Milam believes some of the most effective outreach happens neighbor-to-neighbor.
“It’s really about neighbors sharing information with each other,” she said. “It makes a difference when your neighbors share a sign with you than when the police department or the fire department shares a sign with you. That’s, I think, what makes a difference.”
Thank you for the informative article! I will support increasing fireworks fines and host liability when the agenda item comes before the city council. I hope others will as well.
While I agree that illegal fireworks are a hazard and should be addressed, the privacy implications of having a police drone seem to go unaddressed in this article. Will the drone be decommissioned after the holiday? Will the police use the drone to detect other activity? This seems to warrant further reporting.