The Riverside Police Department has attributed the increase in citations for illegal fireworks to the deployment of drones starting in 2025, according to the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper also listed other California cities such as Downey, Artesia, Brea, San Bernardino, Stanton, Chino, Hemet and San Jose that deployed drones during the July 4 holiday.
California cities may be the most aggressive in using drones to hunt illegal fireworks yet, but there are examples elsewhere. This year, the Lewisville Police Department in Texas shared images with CBS News of its drone responding to 19 fireworks incidents on July 4, and reported several instances where people shooting fireworks decided to stop and retreat once the drone arrived.
The Renton Police Department of Washington State also video published with drones since last July 4 weekend and has deployed drones for the past three years to detect people setting off illegal fireworks in the Seattle suburb. according to MyNorthwest.
All of this fits into a broader trend of “drone as first responder” programs that is growing across the United States, as technology companies use drones equipped with a variety of surveillance capabilities for law enforcement. More than 1,800 police departments and sheriff’s offices have operated drones in the United States, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation report. Surveillance Atlas database. Such drones “should require clear policies on retention, audits and use, including when cameras should not be recording.” according to Beryl Liptonsenior researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
By the way, some American communities used drones on the 250th anniversary of the United States for a very different purpose: to complement or even Replacement of official fireworks displays. with swarms of drones that set coordinated and colorful shows in the sky These displays are cleaner and quieter than fireworks, while significantly reducing the risk of starting fires in dry summer conditions.
