(July 6, 2004) -- Here are details on a subject reported yesterday by LBReport.com.

LBPD Public Information Officer Nancy Pratt provided us with these figures regarding July 4th fireworks-related arrests:

Two felony arrests, three misdemeanor arrests, 59 misdemenaor citations, all pyro related...plus twenty traffic citations, and roughly 300 parking citations and six vehciles towed, the majority of which PIO Pratt says are likely related to fireworks related activity.

PIO Pratt says LBPD also confiscated a larger amount of fireworks (all illegal in LB) than in previous years, estimated about ten times the amount in previous years.

Signs banners, posters and public warnings were conspicuously posted throughout the city, and especially along the shoreline, warning that privately possessed fireworks are illegal in Long Beach.

City Councilmembers had explicitly urged city management to enforce aggressively this year...and LBPD deployed 16 officers (on top of LBPD's heavy holiday deployment) specifically to deal with pyro scofflaws.

With Lakewood and other nearby cities permiting state authorized private pyros, it was a daunting task.

We heard and saw private pyros from dusk until nearly 11 p.m. in ELB near LBReport.com's world headquarters. LBReport.com's security director, Oscar, a 9 year old retriever-collie mix, was unable to peruse his neighborhood "pee-mail," afraid to set foot outside.

Earlier this year, several LB Councilmembers indicated they'd been beset by public complaints over private pyros...and favored a change in state law on the issue.