The Grover Beach Police Department issued around a dozen citations for illegal fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend, and Police Chief Jim Munro says it could be a record high number of citations for San Luis Obispo County this year.
“To some, that may seem like a very low number but we are a small city and so all things considered, 12 citations in a small city like this with the amount of staffing we have is actually a relatively good number,” Munro said.
Longtime Grover Beach resident Gigie Remillard said this year was a significant improvement from years past.
“There have been years where it was really bad," Remillard said. "I live on the other side of Oak Park and for a while, they had it at the park and stuff but this year I didn’t think it was too bad at all.”
Footage posted by the Grover Beach Police Department shows most of the illegal fireworks were set off in nearby towns. Some Grover Beach residents who live closer to the city limits say they felt like they were in "Armageddon."
Melanie McDonald is a Grover Beach resident who lives close to Oceano.
“It was pretty bad last year but I think this year it was even worse and I didn’t see anybody cruising, I didn’t see any drones… and I know the police were busy, I get it, but it was bad,” McDonald said.
This is the first year in which a new social host ordinance and drone technology were used to catch people setting off fireworks.
“Each year, we’ll keep trying to get better and try to lower the amount of illegal fireworks in Grover Beach but we were happy with the efforts of the officers and the community this year too,” Munro said.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, Grover Beach police responded to more than 60 calls for service and of the 12 citations given, 11 were related to the new social host ordinance.
