City Council receives police 2024 annual report and Assembly Bill 481 military equipment use report

San Luis Obispo City Council on a 5-0 vote received and filed the San Luis Obispo Police Department—9s 2024 annual report and the department—9s Assembly Bill 481 military equipment use report during the regular council meeting. Councilmember Marks moved to receive the report; Councilmember Boswell seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

The reports showed that the department responded to 35,003 calls for service in 2024 and "we deployed military equipment on 52 of those incidents," Deputy Chief Amoroso told the council, noting that the majority of those deployments were unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). Amoroso said that actual use of military-designated equipment on calls within the city occurred twice in 2024 (0.005 percent of calls for service). The department reported no complaints or policy violations related to military equipment use during 2024.

The nut graph: the reports combined crime statistics, traffic and noise data, department training updates and an inventory-and-use review required by state law (AB 481), giving the council and public a look at how the department balances operational needs, transparency and public-safety priorities.

The presentation and council discussion included the following highlights and details:

- Crime trends: Chief Scott and Deputy Chief Schaeffer told the council that violent crime in the city decreased about 14 percent year over year, while overall Part I crime rose 3.4 percent, mainly driven by increases in general theft…