Sheriff's Department Cofiscates Thousands of Illegal Fireworks. (Hesperia Star 07112006)

I am glad that the laws were upheld in the Forth of July. There was still a whole lot that were going off around us, that seemd to have gotten by them, but that is okay, because they cannot be everywhere all the time. But this year I know that they tired and I know next year they will try harder and they will work at catching them.

BS Ranch

Sheriff's Department confiscates thousands of illegal fireworks

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Arson/Bomb Detail and the Sheriff’s Baker Substation, along with the San Bernardino County Fire Department, and the Office of the State Fire Marshall/CDF participated in a joint effort to reduce the amount of illegal fireworks that are imported daily into the State of California across the Southeastern corridor of the state.

In the past, tons of fireworks were sold on a daily basis in Pahrump Nevada, and illegally imported into California. The illegal sales, importation, and use of fireworks creates a tremendous financial burden on state and local government as well as posing a significant risk to public safety.

The purpose of the Highway 127 Corridor Firework Interdiction Program was to identify indiviuals who are transporting illegal fireworks into the State of California. Officers were out to enforce California Health and Safety Code laws pertaining to the possession of illegal fireworks without a permit. Involved officers also educated the general public on the laws and dangers of illegal fireworks.

This program is the first of its kind in Southern California and was extremely successful. A checkpoint was established on Hwy 127 at Schoolhouse Road in Baker. Out of the 389 vehicles that passed through it, 90 were pulled aside for inspection purposes. Every one of them were transporting illegal fireworks resulting in 94 citations being issued and just under 14,000 pounds of fireworks confiscated. The checkpoint ran from Saturday July 1st to Monday July 3rd 2006.

Detectives have been working undercover on this fireworks intervention program since early May and had written 76 citations, made 2 arrests and confiscated an extimated 51,900 pounds of illegal fireworks prior to the checkpoint over the July 4th holiday.