While other Bay Area cities grappled with a number of fireworks incidents, San Mateo saw a 77% drop in illegal fireworks-related calls compared to the previous year, according to the city’s police department.
Law enforcement responded to 43 fireworks-related calls between July 4 and the early morning hours of July 5, down from 187 in 2025, according to a press release. The department was able to use drones to locate firework activity as it occurred, combating a historically difficult hurdle when trying to enforce the city’s fireworks laws. The technology was able to capture and respond to more than half of the fireworks incidents.
The drones were also supplemented with more proactive law enforcement and “increased enforcement messaging, making it clear that officers would be actively patrolling throughout the holiday and taking enforcement actions,” the press release said. Most of the activity occurred between 9-10 p.m. on the eastern side of the city.
The police department’s press release comes after reports of fires, injuries and damaged vehicles surfaced throughout other parts of the region, including in San Jose and Oakland, due to illegal firework displays.
The San Mateo Police Department said that officers still had to respond to other serious incidents on the Fourth of July, including driving under the influence, assault with a deadly weapon, narcotics and an attempted catalytic converter theft.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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