AB 1486: Law enforcement and state agencies: military equipment: funding, acquisition, and use.

Existing federal law authorizes the United States Department of Defense to transfer surplus personal property, including arms and ammunition, to federal or state agencies for use in law enforcement activities, subject to specified conditions, at no cost to the acquiring agency.

Existing law requires a law enforcement agency to adopt a military equipment use policy, as specified, before obtaining military equipment, as defined. Existing law also requires a law enforcement agency to obtain approval from their governing body before obtaining military equipment, as specified.

Existing law defines military equipment to include specialty firearms and ammunition, including assault weapons, as that term is defined in law, but excludes standard issue service weapons and ammunition.

This bill would clarify the meaning of standard issue service weapons and ammunition for purposes of this provision and exclude assault weapons from this exception. This bill would replace certain devices referred to in existing law by a specific trade name with a general description of those devices.

Existing law requires a law enforcement agency that has obtained military equipment pursuant to these provisions to prepare and submit an annual report to their governing body regarding the use of that equipment, as specified, and to hold a community engagement meeting, as specified, regarding that report. Existing law also requires a governing body that has enacted an ordinance authorizing the financing, acquisition, or use of military equipment pursuant to these provisions to annually review the ordinance and to hold a vote at a public meeting whether to renew the authorization.

This bill would require the renewal vote of the governing body to be held no less than 30 days after the community engagement meeting, and for the governing board to consider input from the community engagement meeting, as specified.