The 4th of July weekend is less than two weeks away and illegal fireworks are already rattling several neighborhoods in Lompoc.
Police in Lompoc say they receive calls every day about fireworks going off but say they need the resident's help to really crack down on who's participating in the lighting of illegal fireworks.
"I'm kind of surprised people are doing that without any kind of regard of scaring people's dogs and things like that but it'll wake you up if you are asleep even a few blocks away they are pretty big," resident Kason Carter said.
Lompoc police say they've been getting roughly up to 30 calls a night every night, especially on weekends.
"The alarming part is they haven't even started putting the safe and sane fireworks stands up yet, so a lot of the people that have them are bringing in illegal fireworks from other states," said Sgt. Agustin Arias with Lompoc PD.
According to Sgt. Arias, the department is already putting extra patrols on the streets for fireworks alone, all in an effort to help animals and those who might be suffering from PTSD.
"It wakes up the kids, it scares the pets, it's really irresponsible really. We are in a high fire season, too, and you are blowing off these illegal fireworks. It's just really irresponsible," Carter said.
Lompoc police are set to put a form on the department's app so people can anonymously report those who are using illegal fireworks. They ask residents to provide specific locations so they can respond to the complaints.
"We encourage our residents to call us and tell us and if you want to remain anonymous and provide a specific location, we would be more than glad to take that information," said Sgt. Arias.
As of right now, the department says they've only given out two citations for the use of illegal fireworks. Citations range anywhere from $300 up to $1,000 dollars.
