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Sheriff, DA report no complaints as board approves annual military-equipment policies
Summary
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved updated military equipment policies and annual reports from the sheriff's office and the district attorney's bureau of investigation, including authorization to accept surplus bomb robots if available; agencies said there were no complaints about equipment use.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously June 3 to approve the sheriff’s office and district attorney’s annual reports and updated policies on military equipment and to renew the county ordinance governing acquisition and use.
The reports list quantities, costs and use summaries required by Ventura County Ordinance 4603 and state law. Commander Alan Harkop of the sheriff’s office and Deputy Chief Investigator Cloris Conway of the district attorney’s Bureau of Investigation presented the reports and policies and said there had been no public complaints about the equipment.
“The annual reports detail the quantity of each type of equipment possessed, the cost associated with equipment, a summary of how the equipment was used, and whether there were any complaints or concerns received regarding the use of the equipment. And I can tell you from, both agencies, we do not have 1 single complaint regarding the equipment,” Commander Alan Harkop told the board.
The sheriff’s office sought board approval to continue participation in the federal Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) military surplus program and to accept additional unmanned ground vehicles — commonly called bomb robots — if they become available at no cost. Sheriff’s officials said their current inventory includes eight devices but only four are currently functional; robots are used to gather audiovisual data and to manipulate or dispose of suspicious devices without exposing deputies.
Deputy Chief Investigator Conway described the district attorney’s bureau as a law-enforcement arm that uses specialized response tools for tasks including serving high‑risk warrants and witness protection. She told the board the agencies held a public meeting May 28 — publicized on agency social media and with a joint press release — and no members of the public attended or commented.
The board approved the item by roll call vote: Supervisors LaVere, Gorrell, Long, Lopez and Chair Parvin voted yes.
Why it matters: County ordinance and state law require periodic public reporting and board oversight when local law-enforcement agencies acquire or use specified categories of “military equipment.” The item renews public-facing policies and preserves the sheriff’s and DA’s ability to accept surplus equipment that agencies described as primarily intended to increase officer and public safety during high‑risk operations.
