Police recover over 100 fireworks using community reporting app
CONCORD — A mobile reporting app used for the first time last week helped Concord police confiscate more than 100 illegal fireworks, city officials said Sunday.
As Concord got ready to celebrate the Foursth of July, police set up a fireworks reporting app through Concord Connect that garnered 458 reports, far more than the 320 fireworks calls made to the city’s 911 or general police line.
Police say it had its intended effect, as officials were trying to help decrease fireworks-related calls to 911 while improving response times to community reports of illegal fireworks.
The app tracks where and when complaints were filed and enables users to upload photos. The data showed that most reports came in between 9 p.m. and midnight and were more prevalent in certain parts of the city, police said.
Using that information, police officials set up four extra patrols from June 24 to June 27 and July 2 to July 4, with one supervising officer monitoring real-time reports as they were logged and then communicating back to the patrols.
Police say the app’s information “resulted in the confiscation of more than 100 illegal fireworks.”
“This was a deterrence strategy that was intended to remind the community that fireworks are dangerous and illegal,” Bustillos said. “Our officers were visible throughout the community. They issued a handful of citations and took dozens of fireworks off the streets.”