(Watsonville Police confiscated a mix of illegal fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations. Contributed photo)
WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Police released its statistics Thursday for the Fourth of July holiday, which show a dip in calls for service compared to the previous year.
Between July 1 and July 5, WPD received 770 calls for service, compared to 896 in 2017, according to police. Of the calls for 2018, 118 were for fireworks. WPD had no calls for explosions and three calls regarding gunshots.
WPD issued 11 citations for illegal firework use and they confiscated 87 pounds of illegal fireworks.
Forty-three personnel were assigned for the Fourth of July.
In a 24-hour block starting at 6 a.m. July 4, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office responded to 282 calls, 130 being for fireworks. They made six arrests involving drugs, warrants and aggravated assault charges.
Deputies wrote 82 citations, including 28 alcohol charges, 33 parking citations and 15 for fireworks.
There were 16 bookings at the Santa Cruz County Jail and an additional 11 diversions to the Recovery Center. Hundreds of fireworks were confiscated.
In Santa Cruz, police responded to 435 calls for service between midnight on Wednesday and 3 a.m. Thursday. Out of those 435 calls, 74 were fireworks-related. Overall, there were no significant incidents, Santa Cruz Police spokeswoman Joyce Blaschke said.
