San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
NATIONAL CITY TO CHECK POLICE USE OF MILITARY GEAR
State law requires governing body to give permission
This time next year, the National City Police Department must publicly report what military equipment it has on hand and how it was used throughout the year.
The move is required by a new California law that pushes for transparency and oversight of costs associated with law enforcement use of military-style gear, such as drones, grenades and armored vehicles.
Police advocates have said that such equipment offers better protection to law enforcement, while critics of militarized police forces have argued that it terrorizes communities. Assembly Bill 481, which took effect on Jan. 1, was one of eight bills passed to improve policing responsibility and accountability.
AB 481 mandates that law enforcement agencies receive permission from their governing boards, such as a city council or board of supervisors, to continue using the equipment and before buying new tools.
The bill requires that agencies draft a policy establishing the “guidelines for the approval, acquisition, and reporting requirements of military equipment,” reads NCPD’S policy. The department must also create a detailed inventory of all the gear it has and would like to purchase, with information about each item’s life span, the purpose for its use, costs and how it plans to pay for it.
To make the reporting process official, AB 481 requires that governing boards adopt an ordinance that sets the framework for how to better monitor what kind of equipment is available and what safety plans are attached.
On Tuesday, National City council members approved the Police Department’s policy and adopted an ordinance.
“As a police department, we endeavor to stay at the forefront of positive change and use best practices to ensure we are providing the National City community with the highest level of professional police services possible,” Police Chief Jose Tellez told the council.
With the City Council’s approval, NCPD must return next year with a report on the military equipment it used and how it was used throughout the year. Before that presentation, the Police Department must, by law, hold at least one community meeting so that the public may discuss and ask questions about the agency’s “funding, acquisition, or use of military equipment,” reads AB 481.
NCPD’S report, currently available on the department’s website, outlines an extensive list of its military equipment, which includes drones, grenades, a ballistic armored vehicle and different types of rifles.
The report has costs of gear bought as far back as 1993 through earlier this year, totaling about $1.74 million. That figure does not include costs for ammunition. Most tools were bought using the city’s general fund, which pays for essential city services such as the police and fire departments.
The Police Department has a total of 135 personnel, according to Tellez, and is responsible for patrolling the South Bay city, which is nearly 10 square miles large and has a population of about 56,000, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau.
Resident Coyote Moon said she would like the National City Community and Police Relations Commission to be present at annual community meetings so that “we can be confident that another pair of eyes … can sign off on the annual report.”
In agreement, the council adopted the ordinance with the addition of having the commission be a part of the public meeting process.
National City is among the first cities in San Diego County to meet the state requirements of AB 481. The San Diego Police Department unveiled its policy in February, sharing its current stock of military equipment, which includes drones, beanbag shotguns and various rifles. The report said the cost of the department’s gear totaled $905,600.
Oceanside Police Department is expected to present its draft policy and inventory, which are available online, at a council meeting in April, the department announced on Twitter in February.