San Leandro City Council
May 18, 2026

California Assembly Bill 481: Military Equipment Funding, Acquisition, and Use Policy 2024 Annual Update
Assistant Police Chief Torres
May 18,2026
City Council Meeting
Agenda
 Assembly Bill 481 Overview
 “Military Equipment” Defined and Categorized
 San Leandro Police Inventory by Category
 How We Used the “Military Equipment”
 Concerns
 Policy Violations
 Additional Requests
 2026 Community Police Review Board Presentation
2 Assembly Bill 481 Overview
 Signed into law by Governor Newsom on September 30, 2021  Increases transparency, accountability and oversight for funding, acquisition and use of specified equipment
 Provides safeguards to protect public welfare, safety, and civil liberties
 Defines and categorizes “military equipment”
 Requires law enforcement agencies possessing “military equipment” to seek City Council approval for the
procurement and continued use of such equipment
 Requires an annual report to summarize usage, updates, community concerns and internal audits/policy violations 3 Military Equipment – Defined and Categorized  Unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial or ground vehicles (Category 1)  Mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles or armored personnel carriers (Category 2)  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 (Category 3)
 Tracked armored vehicles that provide ballistic protection to their occupants (Category 4)  Command and control vehicles that are either built or modified to facilitate the operational control and direction of public safety units (Category 5)  Weaponized aircraft, vessels, or vehicles of any kind (Category 6)  Battering rams, slugs, and breaching apparatuses that are explosive in nature (Category 7)  Firearms of .50 caliber or greater (Category 8) |
 Ammunition of .50 caliber or greater (Category 9)
 Specialized firearms and ammunition of less than .50 caliber (Category 10)  Any firearm or firearm accessory that is designed to launch explosive projectiles (Category 11)  Noise-flash diversionary devices and explosive breaching tools, munitions containing tear gas or OC, excluding standard, service-issued handheld pepper spray (Category 12)
 Area denial electroshock devices, microwave weapons, water cannons, and long-range acoustic devices (Category 13)  Kinetic energy weapons and munitions (Category 14)
 Any other equipment as determined by a governing body or a state agency to require additional oversight (Category 15) 4 *Highlighted represents SLPD existing PD Equipment
SLPD Military Equipment - Categorized
• Tactical Robot Category 1 • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV, also known as “drone”) • MedEvac Armored Personnel Carrier (Category 2) Category 2 & 3 • Battering ram attached to the MedEvac Armored Personnel Carrier (Category 3) • Mobile Command Post Category 5 • Mobile Hostage Negotiations Team Operation Command Vehicle Category 7 • Kinetic Breaching Tools 5
SLPD Military Equipment - Categorized
• AR-15 Rifles
• .308 Sniper Rifle
• Rifle Ammunition
Category 10
• Bean Bag Shotgun Category 11 • 40MM Launcher
• Diversionary Device (Flash Bangs) Category 12 • Chemical Agents • 40MM Tactical Launcher
• Bean Bag Shotgun
• Bean Bags Category 14 6
Military Equipment Usage in 2024
7 * Non-training settings January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025 7 SLPD Military Equipment – Category 1
• 65 Deployments
• Warrant Service
• Wanted Person
• Missing Persons
• Scene Mapping
• Search for:
• Armed Individuals
• Assault Suspects
• Burglary Suspects
• Theft Suspects
• Robbery Suspects
• Attempt/Murder Suspect
• Evidence Retrieval
Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles
8 SLPD Military Equipment – Category 2 & 3
MedEvac
Armored
Vehicle
9 • 19 Tactical Deployments
• Barricaded Subjects
• Armed Subject
• Shooting
• Warrant Service
• 4 Community Events
SLPD Military Equipment – Category 5
• 3 Deployments
• Warrant Service
Mobile
Hostage
Negotiations
Command
Vehicle
10 SLPD Military Equipment – Category 12
• 5 Deployments (17 device launches)
• Assault with a Deadly Weapon Suspect (2 rounds)
• Warrant Service – Disable Cameras (2 rounds)
• Warrant Service – Disable Cameras (7 rounds)
• Barricaded Assault With a Deadly Weapon Suspect –Window Port (3 rounds)
• Armed Burglary Suspect –Window Port (3 rounds)
Bean Bag
Shotgun
• 2 Deployments
• Warrant Service
Diversionary
Device
11 Community Complaints or Concerns Received
 None
12 Military Equipment Related Policy Violations
 None
13 2025 Acquisitions – Category 7
14 (2) Aardvark Kinetic Breaching Tool (KBT)
Model: 3-1000
AB 481 Approved Purchase in 2025
$28,077.50 (Approx. $14,039 each)
14 2025 Removals– Category 7
15  (4) Remington 870 Express Breaching Shotguns
 Royal Arms T.E.S.A.R. -1 Orange Cap Breach Rounds
 Royal Arms T.E.S.A.R. - 2 Black Cap Breach Rounds
Requests for 2025
 None
16 Community Police Review Board Feedback
 Community Meeting – April 15, 2026
 Board had no recommendations regarding the presentation or updated inventory list. 17 SLPD Assembly Bill 481 Website
 Current Policy
 Current Inventory
 https://www.sanleandro.org/1077/Assembly-Bill-481
18