SANTA ANA
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Annual Military
Equipment Report
May 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025
This report provides the Community with an overview of the Santa Ana Police Department’s use of military equipment as defined in Government Code Section 7070.
Exhibit 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Background_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Summary of Equipment Use ____________________________________________________________________________ 1 Summary of Outcomes __________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Summary of Complaints _________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Internal Audits ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Fiscal Impact _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Equipment Inventory ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Possible Future Purchases ______________________________________________________________________________ 4
ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT REPORT
Background
On September 30, 2021, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill (AB) 481. The legislation intended to increase transparency and community involvement in a local law enforcement agency’s purchase and use of military equipment, as defined in California Government Code Section 7070. In addition to section 7070, AB 481 created California Government Code Sections 7071 and 7072.
California Government Code Section 7071 requires a law enforcement agency to obtain approval of the governing body by an ordinance adopting a military equipment use policy at a regular meeting of the governing body. On May 3, 2022, at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting, the Santa Ana Police Department presented our Military Equipment Policy (Policy 707) to the Council and Community. At the May 17, 2022, City Council Meeting, the Council adopted the ordinance by a vote of 4 to 2 (1 member absent).
Beginning on May 8, 2022, the Police Department began tracking its use of defined military equipment to generate an Annual Military Equipment Use Report. The information contained in this report is to inform our community regarding why and how we utilized the defined military equipment entrusted to us. This report includes data from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025.
Summary of Equipment Use
During the time frame of this report, defined military equipment was deployed to field-based incidents thirty (30) times and to community events eleven (11) times. Of the thirty deployments, four (4) involved the Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, where specific criteria had to be met before the SWAT Team was activated/utilized.
Each of the thirty field deployments involved incidents where the defined equipment provided the community and our officers with a higher level of safety than would have been possible had the equipment not been utilized. For example, during each incident, the suspect(s) involved were either believed to be armed, in a position of tactical advantage, or both. The chart below illustrates the types of defined equipment deployed during the reporting period, along with the frequency of deployment for each piece of equipment. While a total of thirty incidents required the deployment of defined equipment, several of the incidents required multiple pieces of equipment, which is why the total number indicated in the chart exceeds thirty.
ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT REPORT
In addition to the deployments described above, the Terradyne Armored Rescue Vehicle and SWAT Team members are frequently requested to attend community events. During this reporting period, the Terradyne was requested and present at eight (8) community events.
Summary of Outcomes
During this reporting period, subjects were detained and/or arrested in twenty-one (21) of the thirty (30) incidents. Nine (9) incidents resulted in officers being unable to locate the subject of the investigation. Of the twenty-one incidents where subjects were detained or arrested, six (6) involved officers using specified equipment as a less-lethal force option to de-escalate the situation and effect the arrest. None of the incidents involving the deployment of specified equipment resulted in an officer-involved shooting or other fatality.
Summary of Complaints
The Santa Ana Police Department received no community complaints regarding the use of defined military equipment during this reporting period.
Internal Audits
The Santa Ana Police Department is conservative in its deployment of defined military equipment and utilizes multiple layers of approval depending on the circumstances of each incident. The first layer of approval rests with an on-scene supervisor. The second layer of approval must come from the Watch 19 96
8 2 6
1 1
Equipment Deployments
Patrol Rifles
40mm Less-Lethal Launchers
SWAT Rifles
Terradyne Armored Rescue Vehicle
BEAR Armored Rescue Vehicle
Diversionary Device
Robot
Drone
ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT REPORT
Commander. Any SWAT-specific defined equipment must be approved by either the SWAT Commander or the Assistant SWAT Commander.
Following the deployment of the defined equipment, the incident is reviewed and evaluated to determine the appropriateness of the equipment used. During this reporting period, each deployment of defined equipment was assessed. The use was deemed appropriate based on the information available to supervisors at the time of deployment.
Fiscal Impact
During this reporting period, no additional defined equipment was purchased. The vehicles have ongoing maintenance costs, detailed in the equipment inventory section below. Additionally, weapons platforms typically require only annual inspections to ensure they are operationally ready for deployment. The annual maintenance cost for weapon systems is, in the worst-case scenario, annual estimates should a weapon platform require repair. However, typically, weapons platforms do not require repair beyond simple routine maintenance and cleaning.
If a piece of defined equipment requires repair, the funds are allocated from the Police Department’s annual budget.
Equipment Inventory
VEHICLES
Type Quantity
Annual Maintenance Cost
Mobile Command Vehicle 1
$ 5,500.00
Armored Rescue Vehicle 2
$ 12,600.00
SPECIALTY TACTICAL EQUIP.
Long Range Acoustic Device 2
$ 300.00
Tactical Robot 1
$ 500.00
LESS-LETHAL DEVICES
40mm Launchers 85
$ 4,250.00
40mm Exact Impact Munitions 750
$ - 40mm Direct Impact CS Foam 96
$ - 40mm Powder CS Ferrett 50
$ - 40mm CS Muzzle Blast 50
$ - 40mm OC Muzzle Blast 50
$ -
ANNUAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT REPORT
12 Gauge Bean Bag Round 650
$ - PepperBall Launcher 2
$ 100.00
PepperBall INERT Projectiles 750
$ - PepperBall LIVE PAVA 750
$ - PepperBall LIVE-X PAVA 375
$ - CTS Baffled CS Canister 40
$ - CTS Smoke CS Canister 40
$ - CTS CS Vapor Canister 20
$ - CTS OC Vapor Canister 20
$ -
SPECIALTY MUNITIONS
Remmington 870 Breaching
Shotgun
5 $ 300.00 TKO 12-gauge Breaching Rounds 100
$ -
FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION
Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 107
$ 5,350.00
Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 S 35
$ 1,750.00
Remington 700 XCR
Compact .308
6 $ 300.00 Speer Gold Dot .223 Ammunition 70 (cases)
$ - Federal/Winchester .223/5.56 130
(cases)
$ - Federal/Winchester .223/5.56
Frang.
60 (cases)
$ - Federal .308 Ammunition 24 (cases)
$ -
Total Annual Maintenance Cost $ 30,950.00 Future Purchase
The Police Department has conducted thorough research on developing an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) program. The Department has identified several vendors capable of providing systems that meet our specific requirements. It has also identified a non-general fund source of money and is requesting City Council approval to purchase and implement a UAS program, with initial costs not to exceed $250,000.