Woodland Police have used military-grade equipment for years and must now get approval from the City Council before purchasing or using their equipment under a 2021 bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
U.S. Assembly Bill 481 would require law enforcement agencies to make annual reports on military equipment publicly available on their websites as long as the equipment is operational. This includes information on each type of military equipment for the previous year.
The Police Department currently owns and uses military equipment and requests Council review and approval of its annual report.
The report found that police used military-grade equipment in 12 SWAT team operations between February 3 and September 27 last year.
According to the report, these operations were conducted to serve several arrest warrants, including an arrest warrant for a known drug dealer, a search warrant for a suspect wanted for multiple sex crimes against a minor with a violent criminal history, and an active operation in which West Sacramento police asked the team to arrest a suspect who had broken into his ex-girlfriend’s home, committed domestic violence, made a criminal threat with a knife, and violated a domestic violence restraining order.
In addition, the equipment overview showed that the police department has already purchased nine unmanned aircraft systems and the associated equipment for their remote control with a total value of $32,640.
These drones are used “when their vision would assist officers or incident commanders in the following situations”: serious collision investigations, missing person searches, disaster management, crime scene photography, SWAT operations, tactical or other public safety and life support operations; in response to special requests from local, state or federal fire departments for firefighting and/or prevention.
The ministry pointed out that all unmanned aircraft equipment is expected to last three to five years, with annual maintenance and battery replacement costs of $1,500.
The report also said the police had purchased an armored rescue vehicle, or a vehicle protected against mines and ambushes, worth $500,000.
The purpose of the vehicle is to “respond to critical incidents to increase officer and public safety, improve scene containment and stabilization, and assist in the resolution of critical incidents.”
“The ARV has high ground clearance and high weight, allowing it to rescue citizens during natural disasters such as floods,” the report continues. “The use of armored vehicles can only be authorized by a guard or SWAT commander based on the specific circumstances of a particular critical incident.”
The report also lists a $52,000 SWAT special forces storage vehicle; a crisis negotiation team vehicle used as a mobile office that needs to be replaced at an estimated $50,000; 40mm launchers and projectiles used “to limit the escalation of conflict when the use of lethal force is prohibited or undesirable,” stun grenades; rifles valued at several thousand dollars; chemical warfare and smoke containers; explosive burglary tools; and nonlethal pepper ball launchers and projectiles.
To read the annual report on military equipment use, visit cityofwoodland.gov/1519/Military-Equipment-Use-Annual-Report.
If you are interested in providing public comment on Tuesday’s upcoming meeting, you may submit it by email to [email protected] before 4:00 p.m.
For more information about commenting or to view the Council agenda, visit cityofwoodland.gov/654/Meetings-Agendas.
