Riverside police using drones to combat illegal fireworks on Fourth of July

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of Riverside is now using drones to patrol the skies during the Fourth of July holiday as an extra tool to enforce the use of illegal fireworks.

The new drones, which just arrived this week, are equipped with cameras that allow the operator to see in the dark and magnify the image up to 200 times.

"We can't be everywhere at one time," said Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. "But with the drone capabilities, it will enable us to get there safely, and get eyes on some of the problems going on every year on the Fourth of July."

The drones also have the ability to record video of illegal fireworks use, which provides evidence for law enforcement should they choose to cite the property owner with an infraction.

"When we hit record, it's going to record very clear, at a distance," said Riverside Police Det. Cole Tuggle, who says the new technology also gives them the ability to pinpoint the exact location of illegal fireworks use with mapping software, even in the dark.

"We have the ability, once we identify a location, to mark it. That way we know exactly where the activity is coming from, and once that's done, we can fly over, get whatever video footage we need for evidence, and present that at a later time if needed," Tuggle said.

Tuggle said the drones can also be flown several miles away from the controller, allowing police to respond to reports of illegal fireworks use very quickly.

"We can be almost anywhere in seconds once the drone is up," Tuggle said.

A new ordinance recently approved by the Riverside City Council also allows law enforcement to cite the property owner for illegal fireworks use, even if they don't have evidence to prove who was actually using the fireworks.

"With this social host ordinance, we can keep property owners responsible for all actions that are taking place on their properties," said Riverside Fire Department Capt. Ray Mendoza.