For the past three years, police officers and sheriffs departments across the state have had to come and publicly talk about any military equipment they own and how they used it over the past year.
But those disclosures didn’t happen in Santa Ana for the past two years due to an administrative mistake, according to Police Chief Robert Rodriguez, who took over the job at the end of last year.
Last week, City Council members debated the late reports for over two hours, raising concerns over the equipment being used on residents during protests and questioning why their police department needs military equipment.
Councilman Jonathan Hernandez pointed to Anaheim police officers killing his cousin in 2021 as an example for why police departments don’t need military equipment, also bringing up the department’s use of equipment to break up protests earlier this year.
[Read: Santa Ana’s Response to ICE Protests Prompt Questions for Police & Mayor]
“I saw an unarmed man sit in a vehicle for over four hours which resulted in Anaheim PD shooting somebody 22 times,” Hernandez said at the Aug. 19 meeting.“If we continue the practice of utilizing militarized equipment, the public will continue to be brutalized.”
[Read: Santa Ana Councilman Watches Police Kill Cousin He Said Had Mental Health Crisis]
But others like Mayor Valerie Amezcua praised the police department’s work, while also asking them to file the reports on time.
“No excuses, the report should’ve been done,” Amezcua said. “Don’t do it again please.”
But in most cities, the equipment disclosures are approved with limited discussion and no review of the actual equipment being used.
What Are Military Equipment Use Policies?
For years, it wasn’t easy to get answers on what military equipment police departments had access to in Orange County.
But that changed when California state legislators approved Assembly Bill 481, which now requires police departments to create and publish a policy outlining when and how all military equipment can be used and to highlight when those weapons are used on the public.
Law enforcement officials are also required to publish an inventory of the military-style arsenal they have, like assault rifles, 40 millimeter projectile launchers, armored cars – even .50 caliber rifles.
Police departments are also required to host public meetings to talk about the reports’ annual findings, and in some cases to ask their local elected leaders if they can buy more military equipment before they do.
Santa Ana Leaders Debate Necessity of Military Equipment
The last time Santa Ana residents heard about plans for their military equipment was in 2022, when city council members first approved the policy and asked for it to come back the following year.
[Read: Does Your Local Police Department Need A Military-Grade Armored Truck?]
Chief Rodriguez blamed the delay on a shifting administration at city hall, which has seen three city managers and a new police chief over the past three years.
[Read: Santa Ana Officials Hire New City Manager After Settling Controversial Legal Threat]
“In regards to the reports that were not brought forward … we actually were keeping track,” Rodriguez said. “What we did not do was bring forward a report.”
To review the disclosures, click here.
Department leaders said they’d received no complaints over their use of force in the past three years, and that the only piece of equipment actually used on the public were 40 mm launchers.
Councilmembers Ben Vasquez and Hernandez brought up concerns of police officers using tear gas on protestors demonstrating against the ICE raids in June.
“I was there. We got the tear gas,” Vasquez said, recalling his time at one of the initial protests against the ICE sweeps.
“There’s a line. I think you crossed it that day,” he continued. “I think we lose the trust of the community.”
But other council members pointed out that military equipment was used in less than one half of one percent of all stops, with Councilman Phil Bacerra highlighting that multiple officers have to sign off for any use of force.
“It’s not like we’re in a third world country where every time someone calls PD out comes a tank,” Bacerra said. “Our PD isn’t just out in the public saying ‘You know what? Today? Let’s go ahead and roll out some of the military equipment.’”
Where Have Police Departments Used Military Equipment in OC?
OC Supervisors didn’t discuss their equipment policies this year, quickly approving the policy without public debate or a staff report from the sheriff’s department.
The sheriff’s department patrols more of the county than any other law enforcement agency, including the cities of Stanton, Lake Forest, Laguna Woods, Dana Point, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and unincorporated areas.
To review their disclosure, click here.
At the county jails, the most commonly used piece of equipment were pepperball launchers and 40 mm projectile launchers.
In the field, the sheriffs’ patrol and special operations divisions used drones 146 times over the past year, and rolled out armored cars over 30 times.
Most of the county’s drones are from Da Jiang Innovations, a Chinese company blacklisted by the federal government.
[Read: Why Do OC Police Departments Use Drones Blacklisted by Federal Government?]
Altogether, maintenance on the county’s military equipment cost $83,000 last year.
In Irvine, council members heard a presentation from the city’s police department that included a detailed breakdown of every instance military equipment was deployed, including how and why it was used.
Equipment used included flashbang grenades, pepperball guns, AR-15 rifles, 40 mm less lethal launchers and a doorbreaching tool.
Drones were their most used tool, with over 2,900 flights across over 700 hours of airtime.
To review Irvine’s disclosure, click here.
“We recognize the importance of transparency and accountability in our operations and will continue to provide the mayor and city council with annual updates on our use of military equipment,” said Lieutenant Daniel Hall.
Council members praised the police department, with Councilmembers Mike Carroll and James Mai questioning why some of the equipment was even considered military issue.
“It’s unfortunate you have to list out all these items,” Mai. “I don’t see IPD using equipment in any wrongful way. Whatever you guys need to do to keep us safe.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.