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Audit finds Sacramento Police made progress on reporting but needs clearer timelines, inventory controls and council guidance on military-equipment use
Summary
An audit of Police Department military-equipment policy found SPD largely met AB 481 reporting and outreach requirements but recommended clearer council direction on reporting metrics, a revised approval timeline and stronger inventory controls; council accepted the audit.
The City Auditor presented an audit of the Sacramento Police Department's military-equipment use policy and inventory practices, finding SPD has made strides in publishing policy, annual reports and public meetings but should tighten timelines, clarify reporting metrics and improve inventory controls.
The audit reviewed the department's compliance with California Assembly Bill 481 (AB 481), the 2021 state law that requires law enforcement agencies to publish a military-equipment use policy, an annual report and to hold community engagement on the use of such equipment. Auditors found SPD produced annual reports, updated its policy and held public meetings, but noted variability across the state in implementation practices and that AB 481 does not include a formal penalty or enforcement mechanism.
Auditors raised three primary concerns. First, the annual approval timeline could become compressed over time under current practices because the department has brought renewals close to the one-year anniversary of prior approvals; auditors recommended the department and city attorney develop a timeline that allows adequate time for community engagement and reporting. Second, the audit recommended council-level guidance on reporting and metrics to clarify terms such as "use" (which can mean very different things across equipment types) and to define what additional information council expects when approving continued use. Third, the department's inventory management practices need stronger internal controls: auditors reported a decentralized inventory system, inconsistent record-keeping across units, and past instances where equipment additions or unaccounted items have required post-hoc updates to council reports.
SPD staff told auditors they had taken steps to improve record-keeping, that an Inspections & Standards Team had implemented better tracking and that the Information Services Team reviews purchases to identify equipment that should be included in the master inventory. The audit recommended a series of controls to produce a comprehensive master inventory, regular reconciliations and clearer responsibilities for unit-level inventory practices.
Members of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission submitted testimony to council urging that the commission and the Office of Public Safety Accountability (OPSA) be included more formally in future reviews of military-equipment policy; the auditor's office said it had briefed the commission leadership and would present the audit to the commission after council action.
The council voted to accept the audit and directed SPD to work with the city attorney on timeline and reporting adjustments and to implement inventory controls outlined in the audit recommendations.
