Fourth of July brings record number of incidents for Ada County Dispatch
Ada County 911 Dispatch was busier than ever during the Fourth of July holiday period, recording 1,765 incidents between midnight July 4 and 6 a.m. July 5 — the highest total on record for the annual celebration.
The total reflects all incidents entered into the county’s Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Because multiple 911 calls can be linked to a single incident, the 1,765 incidents do not represent the total number of calls received, which was likely higher.
Annual Fourth of July holiday period CAD incident totals as reported by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office:
- 2026: 1,765
- 2025: 1,613
- 2024: 1,376
- 2023: 1,295
- 2022: 1,171
The sheriff’s office said it could not attribute the increase to a single factor but told the Idaho Statesman in an email that “population, heat and the added excitement of A250” likely contributed to this year’s record-high numbers
During the 30-hour period, Ada County 911 Dispatch also received 284 fireworks-related calls, 16 fire calls and 184 text messages submitted through the county’s hotline for reporting illegal fireworks.
“Every fireworks complaint generates a call for service, and those calls are handled as deputies are available — prioritized alongside everything else coming in. On and around the 4th of July, that’s a significant amount,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post encouraging community members to utilize the hotline. “We’re managing day-to-day emergencies, an increase in alcohol related calls, and the general uptick that comes with a holiday when most people are home, especially with the holiday being on a weekend. Illegal fireworks complaints, while completely valid, are lower on the priority list when emergencies are pending.”
Although total dispatch incidents increased 9.4% from last year’s Fourth of July holiday period, fireworks-related reports declined. Dispatch received 284 fireworks-related calls this year, down from 364 in 2025, while the number of fireworks-related hotline texts remained relatively steady at 184 compared to 185 last year.