Santa Ana police crack down on illegal fireworks

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The Fourth of July is one of the busiest nights of the year for the Santa Ana Police Department.

In an exclusive Eyewitness News ride-along, officers demonstrated how they work to enforce an illegal fireworks ban.

The department brings in every available officer to work enforcement and patrol in order to confiscate illegal fireworks and write citations for people they catch in the act.

A ticket for illegal fireworks in the city of Santa Ana costs $1,000.

"We've done educational efforts, but this is what happens every year on the Fourth of July," Deputy Chief Ken Gominsky said. "We'll continue our outreach efforts, but tonight, we're out here, trying to enforce the law."

During the ride-along, officers also escorted firefighters to medical calls after reports of people shooting mortars at them. Then, they responded to a house fire started by fireworks and even an armed robbery at a liquor store.