At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Ripon’s Fourth of July celebrations were a topic of discussion as Police Chief Daniel Sauer briefed council members on the night’s events. Council member Leo Zuber brought up a report in a local newspaper highlighting Manteca’s 109 citations for illegal fireworks, with drones being used this year to track violators. In contrast, Chief Sauer told the council Ripon police responded to just 17 fireworks-related incidents on July 4th, issuing only one citation.

“It was really a good night and not a lot of activity,” Sauer said. “I was out that night, I was in Modesto driving back to Ripon and you would think it was a no-fly zone because there was hardly anything going on. It was amazing compared to other cities.”

Unlike Manteca, Ripon did not deploy drones during the holiday. While the department does have a licensed drone pilot on staff and was prepared to use a drone if a problem area persisted, Chief Sauer said the need never arose this year.

“Often, we get calls about fireworks but no one knows exactly where it’s happening. We drive by and that usually solves the problem,” Sauer explained. “If we have someone on the drone, that takes an officer off the street.”

Given Ripon’s size and staffing, Sauer said there’s no strong case for drone use right now—especially in comparison to bigger neighboring cities. Mayor Daniel de Graaf shared concerns about spending “tens of thousands of dollars” for drone patrols and the potential impact on police presence.

Council member Mike Restuccia credited the calm night to proactive police work. “Ripon doesn’t have the issues with fireworks because police are actively driving around the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Manteca Police Department reported 105 calls for fireworks on July 4th and issued 109 administrative citations—48 witnessed by officers directly and 61 captured by drone surveillance. Each citation carried a $1,000 fine and was mailed to the violator.

For now, Ripon officials see little reason to change their approach, pointing to a relatively quiet Fourth compared to their neighbors.