Military Equipment (AB 481)
Military Equipment Funding, Acquisition and Use Policy
On September 30, 2021, Governor Newsom signed one of many pieces of police reform legislation. AB 481 was prepared by Assembly member David Chiu (D-San Francisco) to address the funding, acquisition and use of military equipment.
View the full text of AB 481 here.
AB 481 Definition of Military Equipment
The Assembly Bill has designated the following categories of items as military equipment. The Carmel Police Department has equipment that meets the criteria for 2 of the 15 categories (categories 10 and 15), which are listed below:
- Unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial or ground vehicles.
- Mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles or armored personnel carriers.
- High mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV), two-and-one-half-ton trucks, five-ton trucks, or wheeled vehicles that have a breaching or entry apparatus attached.
- Tracked armored vehicles that provide ballistic protection to their occupants .
- Command and control vehicles that are either built or modified to facilitate the operational control and direction of public safety units.
- Weaponized aircraft, vessels, or vehicles of any kind.
- Battering rams, slugs, and breaching apparatuses that are explosive in nature.
- Firearms of .50 caliber or greater, excluding standard-issue shotguns.
- Ammunition of .50 caliber or greater, excluding standard-issue shotgun ammunition.
- Specialized firearms and ammunition of less than .50 caliber, including firearms and accessories identified as assault weapons in Penal Code § 30510 and Penal Code §30515, excluding standard-issue service weapons.
- Any firearm or firearm accessory that is designed to launch explosive projectiles.
- Noise-flash diversionary devices (flashbangs), explosive breaching tools, tear gas, and pepper balls.
- TASER® Shockwave, microwave weapons, water cannons, and long-range acoustic devices.
- Kinetic energy weapons and munitions.
- Any other equipment as determined by a governing body or a state agency to require additional oversight.
Requirements of AB 481
AB 481 requires each law enforcement agency’s governing body to initiate the adoption of a written military use policy by ordinance in a public forum in order to continue the use of this previously acquired equipment. On July 9, 2024, the Carmel City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2024-001 adopting a military equipment use policy.
Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department (CPD) Policy 701 on Military Equipment is available to view here.
The AB 481 defined list of military equipment currently in CPD’s possession as well as each item’s purpose, authorized use, expected lifespan, and fiscal impact is available here: CPD Military Equipment List - July 2024
Annual Reports
The annual military equipment use report includes the use of military equipment, any complaints received, any internal audits or other information about violations of CPD Policy 701, the cost of such use and other similar information. The first Annual Report will be distributed in April 2025, approximately one year after the adoption of the Military Equipment Use ordinance.
Complaints
A complaint, concern or question related to Military Equipment utilization by the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department can be made through any of the below listed methods:
Email: PoliceDept@ci.carmel.ca.us
By phone: (831) 624-6403
By mail: Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department, Attn: Military Equipment Use Coordinator P.O Box 600 Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
In person: At the Carmel Police Department located on the SE corner of Junipero and 4th Avenue
Community Meetings and Annual Reports
The CPD held a community meeting on it’s 2024 Military Equipment Use (AB 481) report on April 16, 2025 in the Council Chambers.
The agenda packet for this meeting is available here
The video recording of this meeting is available here: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZIHece-78AE?si=V68UpAMf8ZsOmfSn