The police department will present information about the fireworks to the Inter-Neighborhood Council Organization (INCO) on Wednesday, June 6, 2018. This meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will take place in oxnard City Council Chambers. The public is welcome and encouraged to participate. As Independence Day approaches next month, Oxnard police and firefighters want to remind the public that ALL fireworks in the city of Oxnard ARE ILLEGAL. These include those marked “Safe & Sane” and purchased legally in other cities. Anyone who owns, stores, sells, uses, transports or handles fireworks will be liable to arrest or a fine of up to $1,000. The City of Oxnard is asking its residents and visitors to be good neighbors by not engaging in illegal fireworks activities. “This is literally our biggest effort of the year,” Benites said. “What we`re doing with the additional agents is that they`re going to get into the details of removing fireworks. A number of teams are actively looking for injuries caused by fireworks.
Fireworks are not only dangerous, they are also a nuisance in the community. Fireworks can be extremely frustrating for neighbors, especially when homes are close to each other or when people are trying to sleep. Young children and pets are afraid, and pets are more likely to panic and flee their homes. Fireworks present both a risk of injury and a risk of fire and are responsible for injuries every year. The large influx of fireworks interference calls binds the 9-1-1 lines and also competes with other emergency calls. The Town of Oxnard encourages the public to protect family, friends and neighbours during Independence Day by joining the Good Neighbour campaign. The Good Neighbourly Campaign takes a stand against illegal fireworks and urges residents to be polite, responsible and be a public safety partner in reporting illegal activities. In Oxnard and many parts of Ventura County, fireworks aren`t just a fourth-July event. The intermittent pop-pop sounds of rockets and mortars begin on Memorial Day and can last until the end of July. Members of the public who want to get rid of illegal fireworks can stop at one of the oxnard Fire Department`s eight stations to hand over fireworks without being punished: The Oxnard Police Department said it receives dozens of calls about fireworks on any given night, putting a strain on police resources when it comes to other public safety priorities.
This week, the City of Oxnard introduced a new feature in the Oxnard 3-1-1 app that allows residents to easily report “host responsibility” fireworks violations in specific locations on the Internet or via smartphones. With the Oxnard 3-1-1 app, residents can report anonymously and upload videos/photos. Complaints are reviewed by code compliance officers who share information with the police service. These complaints will be followed up, which may result in quotes being issued for fireworks violators or for the landlord, tenant/host. The Oxnard 3-1-1 app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play. It is also available on the City of Oxnard`s website at www.oxnard.org/your-service-connection/. Please note that the 3-1-1 is not intended for disturbances to current fireworks. “Law enforcement has been extremely difficult in the past,” said Eric Sonstegard, Oxnard`s deputy police chief. “An officer comes around the corner and there are 100 people in someone`s driveway and there are fireworks. How do we determine who is responsible? On Monday, June 8, officers contacted a 28-year-old man in Block 700 of S. “B” Street who was in possession of a dangerous mortar firecracker. He was cited for two violations of oxnard`s municipal code, resulting in a $1250 fine.
None of them, not even those labeled “safe and healthy,” are legal unless they are hired within the city limits of Fillmore. But the crackdown on fireworks proved elusive for the police. Local residents say more and more fireworks are being lit every year. The Oxnard Police Department received nearly 2,400 calls about fireworks last year, more than 400 calls on the fourth of July. Only 13 fireworks-related quotes were made this year. Oxnard also has a 311 app that allows mobile phone users to report fireworks and other issues. Residents can upload photos and videos in the app. To report fireworks disturbances, community members can be good neighbours by calling the non-emergency police number at (805) 385-7740. Having as much specific information as possible about fireworks activity, such as an address, suspicious description, etc., is very helpful for the answer.
Fireworks are not legal in the towns of Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and unincorporated areas of Ventura County. We strongly advise against using all fireworks, including the safe and healthy type. Use or possession could result in a fine and/or jail time.● Fireworks Helpline (805-394-5884)Call and leave anonymous information with the Oxnard Police Department about illegal fireworks. Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ventura this year released new regulations that allow law enforcement agencies to cite and punish owners or tenants of properties where fireworks are set off. In other words, if the authorities see fireworks set off in a house, or if there is credible evidence of fireworks, the owner can be named, whether or not he is in possession of fireworks. “The Oxnard Police Department plans to target fireworks violations this year,” said Deputy Police Chief Jason Benites. “Police and Code compliance staff will intensify our efforts to hold fireworks workers accountable. However, we will endeavor to communicate this to the community in advance, in the hope that the public will think twice. If anyone really wants to see fireworks, please consider other options, such as the Fireworks by the Sea event in the port of the Channel Islands. ● Email Fireworks Tips (Fireworks@oxnardpd.org)Send the Oxnard Police Department information about specific locations or residences where illegal fireworks are used.
If you`d like to report illegal fireworks activity, here are some ways to help: To report fireworks in Oxnard, call 805-385-7740. To report fireworks in Port Hueneme, call 805-986-6539. In Oxnard and Port Hueneme, the first violation of triggering so-called safe and healthy fireworks is associated with a fine of $250. The second and third offences within 12 months are $500 and $1,000, respectively. The first penalty for violating Ventura is $132. A little later, officers found people lighting a mortar fireworks display in Block 200 of W. Hill Street. One person received a quote with a fine of $1000. The City of Oxnard has orders prohibiting the sale, use or possession of fireworks in the city, and fines range from $250 to $1,000 per offence. On April 10, 2018, Oxnard City Council passed an ordinance establishing “host responsibility” for fireworks violations.
The regulation entered into force on 10 May 2018. According to the regulations, owners, tenants or hosts can be held responsible for the sale, possession or use of fireworks on their property. Once a “host responsibility file” has been opened, the follow-up is done by code compliance or police personnel, and the responsible party will receive a quote at a later date. Fines for dangerous fireworks – those that explode, jump, fly, travel or spire – amount to $1,000 per violation in Ventura, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. “It`s an issue that really divides the community,” Sonstegard said. “You have a good portion of our population actively or passively participating in fireworks, and you have the other segment that they just don`t like.” Benites added: “We want our residents to know that fireworks are prohibited in Oxnard and we will also communicate this through our ongoing and daily discussions with the community. We also plan to disseminate information and warnings about fireworks on the Department`s social media platforms, primarily on Facebook, Nextdoor.com, Twitter and the Department`s website (www.OxnardPD.org). People really need to know that fireworks not only pose a risk of injury and fire, but also disturb many people. Independence Day is usually one of the busiest days for the police department.
On July 4, it`s not uncommon for the Oxnard Police Department to receive more than 400 fireworks-related calls (441 in 2016 and 428 in 2017), in addition to the nearly a thousand phone calls it usually handles every day.