West Altadena was a war zone on the 4th. Explosive fireworks, gun shots, etc. I never saw a single sheriff unit and the parties went on late as usual. West of Lake, nobody cares! That is one of the reasons for the fewer calls, inaction by the authorities. And I almost forgot, illegal fireworks within 1 block of the Altadena station.

I agree with “Yeah Right!”… I called twice myself, and had to rescue a dog twice, drove around finding fireworks and calling [the two calls].

I saw and heard fireworks till about 12:30 PM… as many as last year.

That said, I wonder if the problem is that folks gave up and didn’t call.

I credit the Captain for reaching out to all of us last week saying CALL US… we notified our entire Neighborhood Association TO CALL…. guess they didn’t call either

Elliot Gold

I live on the West side, and last year in my particular area, it was a war zone and totally out of control. this year, the amount of fireworks were significantly down, and didn’t go too late. I expected to hear some last night, and am happy to report that my dogs and I slept like babies I can’t speak for all areas, but it was definitely more controlled this year where I live, and I applaud the efforts of the Altadena Sheriff Department to make this year a much more comfortable and safe experience.

Also in “war zone” near Loma Alta Park. Seemed like less because I heard helicopters flying over. The fireworks did end early (midnight-ish compared to 3 am).

The show must have been really good because neighbors were hanging out in the street oohing and aahing. I finally looked out the back door, it was like a legit Rose Bowl show.

Yep, I decided not to call in because last year all I got was attitude by the officer on duty because I didn’t actually “see” who was lighting the fireworks. I didn’t waste water this year either hosing down my backyard and roof.

Some improvement, but not enough on the west side.

So much complaining. The Sheriff’s department were out there working hard. They have only a certain amount of deputies that can respond and do the best they can. No city has perfection. If you want that you should move! These men and women work hard and give up their holiday with their families. There were no shootings and no fires and basically minimal fireworks. Stop complaining! Being negative never helps.

We live in America. We have traditonally celebrated Independence Day with fireworks, “The very first celebration of Independence Day was in 1777 and fireworks were a part of the revels.” If you think that you’re not gonna hear or see fireworks in any part of America, Los Angeles County, or Altadena you ARE living in a fairy tale. The fact that they are illegal doesn’t stop anyone from travelling to another part of LA and purchasing those “safe & sane” fireworks and setting them off in our community. Yeah the cops were running from one call of fireworks to another, in addition the real crime stuff they need to handle as well. They do the very best they can with the amount of cars they have (only 3 patrol cars) and I too applaud their efforts. I too believe the fireworks were less this year than last, as well.

I have to say that this year was almost completely quiet in my neighborhood except for the Fourth, and I have to give credit to our captain and deputies for that. When I moved to West Altadena 22 years ago, the fireworks and firecrackers (NOT Safe & Sane, BTW) started between June 1 & 15 and continued until July 15-August 1. We could hardly leave the house for a week because the dogs would be frantic. This year, I only heard a few bombs in the days before and after the Fourth.

I wasn’t home until 9 p.m. on Thursday and the fireworks continued until midnight or so, but not as bad as last year, more sporadic.

Capt. Benedict got a lot of flack after last year, which was the worst I remember, so his decision to beef up patrols and get the word out early and often really made a difference in my neighborhood.

South Central Altadena was quiet either thanks to the Sheriff taking proactive measures….or because the people with the illegal loud bombs the past few years lived in the houses that the Episcopal Homes just tore down on Crawford Avenue. I did see a lot more patrol cars out the days before the 4th and the Captain said the deputies would be warning people beforehand. This was good and thank you very much for a safe and sane South Central Altadena! Please keep up the good work next year, too!

Now if we could just get the Altadena Country Club to respect the neighborhood and get with the 4th of July schedule that the rest of the country is on, instead of setting of their fireworks on the 2nd or the 3rd, then we’ll be all set for next year.