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Home My WebLink About2026-07-16; Police & Fire Department Summary of Independence Day Operational Period - July 3-5, 2026 (Districts - All); Calderwood, ChristieTo the members of the: CITY COUNCIL ✓ DatelL~cA_L..cc _ CM _~_ACM0cM(3) V July 16, 2026 Council Memorandum To: Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council {city of Carlsbad Memo ID# 2026035 From: Via: Christie Calderwood, Chief of Pf)i.~ Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief Geoff Patnoe, City Manager ~ Police & Fire Department Summary of Independence Day Operational Period - July 3-5, 2026 (Districts -All) Re: This memorandum serves as a comprehensive summary of the Carlsbad Police Department and th e Carlsbad Fire Department's operational and enforcement activities over the 2026 Independence Day holiday period. The designated operational window commenced on Friday, July 3, 2026, and concluded on Sunday, July S, 2026. Discussion Police Department: Efforts during this high-density deployment focused heavily on proactive community safety, traffic/parking management, and quality of life issues, to include fireworks enforcement efforts. Over the course of the three-day operational period, the department responded to or generated a total of 1,065 Calls for Service (CFS). ---Date Dispatched Officer-Initiated Total 7/3/26 207 162 369 7/4/26 241 196 437 ---~ 7/5/26 190 69 259 -- Total 638 427 1,065 Public Information & Community Outreach To support fi eld operations and keep the public informed, the Public Information Officer (PIO) coordinated a robust communication campaign in partnership with the City Manager's Office, Communications & Engagement, and the Carlsbad Fire Department. This proactive strategy ensured t ransparency and widespread community awareness, totaling 22 education and outreach efforts distributed across the following platforms: • City Manager Emails: Three City Manager updates/emails detailing ongoing operational readiness and real-time holiday impacts, particularly around the newly adopted fireworks ordinance. Police Department Administration 2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 442-339-2100 t Council Memo -Police & Fire Dept. Summary of Independence Day Operational Period July 16, 2026 Page 2 • Press & Media Releases: Four City Newsroom updates/press releases published to provide the public with official statements/tips/and legal updates regarding the fireworks ordinance. • Digital Media: Four social media posts broadcast across official channels to deliver safety reminders and emphasize the adoption of the new fireworks ordinance. • Media Inquiries: Two formal media interviews/inquiries fielded and completed by the PIO/Watch Commander. • Earned Media Coverage: Coordination efforts resulted in eight media stories running across local news outlets, to include TV reports and written press. • Direct Community Outreach: One physical community flyer distribution campaign targeting historically problematic areas related to fireworks. Traffic and Parking Enforcement The Traffic Division, supplemented by other field personnel (Patrol, Community-Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving Team, Crime Suppression Team), focused on ensuring roadway safety and managing high-volume holiday congestion across vehicles, pedestrians and e-bikes/e-motos. • Traffic Citations: A total of 98 traffic citations were issued to individuals, vehicles, and e-bikes for hazardous moving infractions and equipment non-compliance. • Parking Citations: A total of 58 parking citations were issued to vehicles to preserve emergency vehicle access routes, address overnight parking issues, and manage high saturation zones. Arrests and Criminal Enforcement Proactive policing and response efforts resulted in 28 total arrests (encompassing both physical bookings and citation/releases). The breakdown of significant arrests includes: • DUI Arrests: Nine intoxicated drivers were taken into custody for driving under the influence, mitigating severe risk to public safety. • 647(f) PC Arrests: Three individuals were arrested for public intoxication. Quality-of-Life Issues The holiday weekend saw substantial party-related activity, requiring targeted intervention under local social host ordinances and peace-disturbance codes. Party Disturbances/ Social Host Enforcement: Teams responded to and actively mitigated 14 major party disturbances, addressing the issues early to prevent adverse escalations. Council Memo -Police & Fire Dept. Summary of Independence Day Operational Period July 16, 2026 Page 3 Specialized Fireworks Enforcement A major priority during this operational period was combating illegal fireworks usage. Deployment strategies utilized both ground units and technical assets (drones) to identify violations. • Fireworks Calls for Service: The department fielded and processed 108 community generated fireworks ca lls. • Officer-Initiated Activity: Proactive patrolling resulted in 15 officer-initiated fireworks calls, catching violations in progress to include three physical seizures of illegal fireworks. • Investigative Outcomes: Enforcement efforts yielded seven formal fireworks-related cases where administrative citations will be issued. The Police Department is coordinating with City Attorney's Office on best practices when considering multiple offenses from community property. There were properties that had multiple violations and exceeded the 10 citations per day. The final guidance may alter the total number of administrative violations. • Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS): Drone-utilized tactics proved highly effective, directly contributing to five of the total fireworks administrative cite cases by pinpointing precise launch locations. Fire Department: Calls for Service While call volume was elevated over the July 4th weekend, most calls for service would not be attributed to July 4th celebration. However, a small number of notable incidents were reported as follows: Council Memo -Police & Fire Dept. Summary of Independence Day Operational Period July 16, 2026 Page 4 • An unmanned boat hull was reported on fire in the inner basin of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. The boat hull had been used as a launch platform for unpermitted fireworks and some of the plastic interior had caught fire. The fire was extinguished without reported injuries or damage to any other property. • Bystander reports of a fire on the La Costa Golf course resulted in a Fire Department response to the permitted fireworks display. The reported fire activity was contained to the fireworks launching equipment located within the launch area on the green and considered an anticipated and controlled result of the launch. There was no risk of fire spreading to surrounding vegetation. A Fire Inspector was on site during the event to oversee the safe operation of the display and the extinguishment of the flaming equipment. Lifeguard Operations 'North Beach' continued to experience extremely high attendance throughout the July 4th weekend. Attendance was further increased by the expanded beach area created through the seasonal sand replenishment project, resulting in more usable beach than has been available along this stretch of coastline in the past five years. Operationally, all lifeguard towers were staffed, supported by two trucks, a UTV, a Personal Watercraft (PWC), and the Police/Fire Rescue Boat. Despite the large crowds and anticipated holiday-related activities, the weekend remained relatively safe with few significant incidents. Proactive public safety contacts, preventative education and calm surf conditions all contributed to a safe and successful holiday weekend. July 3 July4 July 5 TOTALS Attendance 40!500 41J00 18!300 1001500 First Aid Rendered 2 21 ~ 34 Safety Contacts 45 7 0 52 Rescues 2 Q Q 2 Missing Persons Q l Q l Drownings 0 Q 0 Q Fatalities Q Q Q Q Fire & Life Safety Standby A Fire Inspector was assigned to standby duty for each of the three permitted fireworks displays (Park Hyatt Aviara, Legoland, and Omni La Costa). Fireworks displays occurred safely and without operational issues. Next Steps The operational plan for the 2026 4th of July weekend successfully achieved its core public safety objectives. The multi-faceted combination of aggressive field enforcement, zero-tolerance DUI Council Memo -Police & Fire Dept. Summary of Independence Day Operational Period July 16, 2026 Page 5 patrols, advanced drone technology for fireworks interdiction, and a highly active PIO outreach campaign from the Police Department allowed the team to safely and effectively manage an exceptionally high volume of 1,065 Police calls for service resulting in no deaths or serious injuries to the residents, guests, or employees of the City of Carlsbad. The Fire Department's Lifeguard presence and response to permitted fireworks kept the beachgoers and citizens safe in multiple environments. The Police Department will complete an After-Action Report to ensure any lessons learned will be incorporated into next year's action plan. cc: Sheila Cobian, Assistant City Manager Cindie McMahon, City Attorney Ryan Opeka, Assistant Chief of Police Nick Ordille, Assistant Fire Chief