Two additional Manteca Police in plainclothes will hit the streets starting Friday, July 1, armed with smart phones allowing them to move around Manteca essentially undetected to collect evidence needed to penalize homeowners and renters who allow their yards to be used to launch illegal fireworks.The “Nail ‘Em” app coupled with the host ordinance employing an administrative enforcement procedure adopted by the City Council a year ago this month led to 30 people each being slapped with $750 fines for illegal fireworks on the days leading up to the Fourth of July as well as on the holiday itself during 2016.The ability for Manteca Police to have the overtime funds to put two officers on the streets from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, July 1, through Tuesday, July 4, fulfills a council promise made to citizens last year that the city would continue to step up the pressure on the use of illegal fireworks.Also roaming the streets to document illegal fireworks use will be city firefighters as well as regular scheduled police officers when they are not handling other calls.After dealing with several years of the escalating use of illegal fireworks — defined as fireworks that are either made to or modified to take flight or move along the ground — and being unable to stem their widespread use, the city opted to take aim at the pocketbooks of offenders. They are doing so by using technology, adopting an ordinance that puts the responsibility on who is living on the property were illegal fireworks are discharged — renters or owner occupied — and employs an administrative law remedy instead of the criminal courts.In doing so, police no longer have to witness someone launching the illegal fireworks. Instead they can rely on either a visual confirmation of where the fireworks came form or use the global position systems the downloadable app provides to pinpoint the exact point of origin.
HELP NAIL EM
Police ask for help in illegal fireworks fight