New State Law: Draft Military Equipment Use Policy & Next Steps

Published on April 29, 2022

A new law, Assembly Bill 481, was one of several police reform bills signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2021. It went into effect on January 1, 2022. AB 481 is designed to increase community awareness surrounding a police agency’s possession and use of certain types of equipment and requires the City Council to provide both authorization and oversight of its use. The Palo Alto Police Department’s proposed policy can be viewed at  the following webpage: /papdequipment and public input on the policy can be shared through a dedicated input form on the same website. The City Council will be considering the proposed policy no later than November 1 of this year.

Police agencies across the state are developing similar policies in response to this new law. It should be noted that the policy does not contemplate the addition of any new equipment; it simply describes equipment already in the Police Department’s possession. Also, for reference, the Department does not possess any equipment that is “atypical” for the region and Palo Alto possesses fewer types of this equipment than many other Bay Area agencies. Many other agencies have their AB 481 policies posted online.

A new blog provides details on the new state law, annual reporting required on the deployment of the equipment, steps needed including ongoing Council authorization for its continued use, and ways the community can provide input on the proposed policy.