Thumbnail photo by Heather Polen The Moala family was next to the firework explosion that sent 14 people to the hospital last year. According to them, it was their video that local news outlets used. On Friday, they were back at South Beach, and after more than a decade traveling from Medford to Crescent City to celebrate Independence Day, not much has changed, they said. Except for the police presence. “I am disappointed there are not any illegal fireworks all up and down the beach,” Aili Moala told Redwood Voice Community News. Another member of her family said they didn’t know about the community crackdown on illegal fireworks until they pulled into town. Local law enforcement were out in force to keep the community safe during the holiday weekend. Del Norte County Sheriff’s deputies were stationed in Hiouchi, Gasquet, Fort Dick and in Smith River in addition to the command outpost across the street from South Beach, according to Sheriff Garrett Scott. They were joined by three CalFire law enforcement as well as California Highway Patrol and Department of Fish and Wildlife. The mutual aid, including support from Redwood National and State Parks who patrolled the Enderts Beach area using ATVs and on foot, is important because the beach is State Parks and Fish and Wildlife land, Scott told Redwood Voice. Down in Klamath, two Yurok Tribal Police officers provided support to the DNSO. Within city limits, Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin said apart from one person on leave, all of his officers were on duty. Both the police chief and the sheriff said the community they patrolled this year was much different than previous holidays. Still, Scott estimated that his deputies seized about 100 pounds of illegal fireworks and made 13 arrests for a variety of reasons ranging from public intoxication and drunk driving to domestic violence. “We had extra staff,” he said. “We had a paddy wagon out to do transports and we had extra staff in the jail. We had all hands on deck for the sheriff’s office.” The Del Norte County sheriff and the Crescent City police chief were part of a committee of local officials bent on curtailing the influx of illegal fireworks into the community after last year’s mass casualty incident injured 14 people including a 3-year-old boy. In May, the committee launched The No Tolerance Campaign, which included a stronger police presence during the holiday as well as information concerning updated laws that levied increased fines for those caught possessing, selling or displaying the dangerous pyrotechnics. That campaign included a new tip line that went live on Thursday and was active through Friday. According to Scott there were three people manning the tip line. Next year, he said, there will be four dispatchers taking illegal fireworks calls. “They received 41 tips,” he said. “At certain times they did get inundated to where they had a tough time keeping up.” Overall from midnight Thursday to midnight Saturday, Del Norte County dispatchers took more than 300 calls for service both inside and outside Crescent City limits, Scott said. Within city limits CCPD officers made arrests for DUI and assault during the holiday itself, Griffin said. Officers also contacted five or six people on illegal fireworks-related calls during the holiday, but did not issue citations, he said. “There were no issues during the festivities,” Griffin said. “The parade was longer than normal. There were more people down there watching it [than last year]. There appeared to be only one issue of somebody doing burnouts during the parade.” According to Griffin, the individual doing burnouts during the parade was witnessed, contacted by city staff and will receive a citation in the mail on suspicion of exhibition of speed and, potentially, reckless driving, Griffin said. Griffin agreed with Scott that the holiday was much quieter than last year. One reason, he said, is that local officials began planning for the festivities immediately after the fireworks explosion last year. “Citizens stepped up and wanted to have a safer Fourth of July,” he said. “And with the ad campaign, the ones who normally do it understand what they’re facing when they’re caught.” At Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting, Councilwoman Candace Tinkler said this year was the first time in 10 years that she didn’t feel she was living in a war zone during the holiday. Crescent City Fire Chief Kevin Carey said his firefighters were also able to enjoy the fourth without having to run around responding to illegal fireworks. But it was still a busy few days for them, he said. “Volunteers staffed four engines and six other pieces of equipment. We did patrols,” Carey said. “We forwarded information to the city [police department] and to dispatch, but on our end, it was a much better feel.” Meanwhile, though the Moala family and others who visited the Crescent City area weren’t enthused with the tougher stance against illegal fireworks, they understood. One woman, who called herself a Medford grandma, said it’s still worth a trip to the coast even if aerial pyrotechnics aren’t allowed. Still, she had a suggestion. “Everyone should bring them in and then let the experts light them off,” she said.