_{Each year, the city of Sacramento starts to see an increase in the use of illegal fireworks being set off in the city.  These fireworks cause a nuisance to our residents, fires, and hazards in our community that are unnecessary. To help combat the use of illegal fireworks this year, a fireworks abatement team has been created. The Sacramento City Council has been instrumental in funding and creating this Fire Mitigation Task Force. This team will consist of six Sacramento Police Department Police Officers and two Sacramento City Firefighters. They will be working jointly with three deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and two agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The team will be working towards the goal of providing public safety by removing illegal fireworks from the community.}

_{The team has been in place since May 26}^th _{and will be operating through July 5}^th_{. Their responsibility will be to mitigate the sale/possession of illegal fireworks for a 5-week period leading up to the 4}^th _{of July. They will also respond/investigate high-priority fireworks events on the nights of July 2}^nd _{- 4}^th_.

_{Illegal fireworks do not have the seal of the State Fire Marshall imprinted upon them.  Usually any firework that projects into the sky is illegal.} 

_{Here is some information regarding Safe and Sane fireworks, and what happens when the police department is notified of illegal fireworks use:}

_{Safe and Sane fireworks can only be sold from fireworks stands that are properly licensed.  In the city of Sacramento, these sales may only take place from noon on June 28th until 10PM on July 4th.  The only legal fireworks in the State of California that can be sold and/or held in possession must have the seal of the State Fire Marshall imprinted upon them.  All fireworks that do not have this seal will be confiscated and appropriate enforcement action will be taken.}

_{It is legal to possess, use, display or discharge Safe and Sane fireworks in the City of Sacramento from noon on June 28}^th _{to 12:01 a.m. on July 5}^th_.

_{There will be a zero-tolerance policy for illegal fireworks and any citizen that is found to be in possession of illegal fireworks will be cited by contacting officers.}

_{To report the use of illegal fireworks in the city of Sacramento, please send an email to fireworks@pd.cityofsacramento.org or contact the Non-Emergency number at 916-264-5471. If you wish to report the use of illegal fireworks, please leave a detailed message with a description of the subject, address, and license plate info (if applicable).  It is difficult to follow up on any complaint without directly contacting the reporting party.  We ask that you please provide a good way to contact you so that we can follow up.}

_{Items that are commonly referred to as M-80’s, M-100’s, etc., are not fireworks; they are considered explosive devices.  If you encounter one of these items, do not touch or move the device. Evacuate people away from the device and contact the police department immediately. This would be an appropriate time to call the emergency line, 9-1-1. However, if you are calling to report only the sounds of these items being used in the area, the call will be handled with an All-Units radio broadcast. It can be very difficult to narrow down the exact location that these sounds are coming from.}

_{Please keep in mind that first responders are inundated with calls of this type near the 4th of July, so our response time can be delayed.}

_{To help get illegal fireworks off the streets, the task force will also be having two Amnesty Days, allowing people to turn in illegal fireworks, no questions asked. These days will be Sunday, June 10th and Friday, June 22nd.}

_{We wish everyone a safe and fun time celebrating our nation’s independence!}