Sunnyvale DPS reports $136,806 in military-equipment costs; lists drone and armored-vehicle deployments

At a community meeting Patrol Captain Jeremy Lima of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety presented the department's annual Assembly Bill 481 military-equipment report, saying the department spent $136,806 on approved equipment and noting deployments of drones and an armored rescue vehicle during the reporting period listed in the report.

The report, required by California Assembly Bill 481, lists equipment inventory, uses, internal audits and community-complaint information for the period Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2025, as presented by the department. "The goal tonight is to create a public forum for input and engagement for community feedback on the use of military equipment," Lima said. He later summarized the report: "This annual military equipment report reaffirms Sunnyvale DPS's commitment to providing transparency and information to our communities and elected officials in addition to ensuring compliance with California state law."

The department reported zero community complaints and no equipment relinquished for the reported period. DPS identified total annual costs for military equipment of $136,806, which the presentation listed as 0.13182% of the department's overall operating budget. Two internal audits, conducted by SWAT personnel and a captain in February 2024, were reported as confirming compliance with AB 481. Lima said the City Council approved the report ordinance on May 20, 2025; the presentation did not include a vote tally.

Inventory figures and uses in the report include: one armored rescue vehicle (ARV, also identified as the Bearcat) with seven deployments listed as responses to high-risk search warrants, arrest warrants or dangerous incidents; 22 unmanned aircraft system (drone) deployments, of which the report lists 12 tied to suspect-related, high-risk patrol operations or warrants and four used for evidentiary imagery, with the remainder for training and demonstrations; and one use of a noise flash diversionary device ("flashbang") during the apprehension of a violent felon. The inventory totals shown in the report include 8 pepperball launchers, 38 less-lethal launchers, 224 flashbangs, 204 units of CS gas, 3 SWAT robots, 1 ARV, 1 command vehicle, 24 SWAT rifles, 10 sniper rifles and 4 drones.

Lima described recent purchases as "like-for-like" replacements: flashbangs, less-lethal launchers, pepperball launchers, two drones, three SWAT rifles and four sniper rifles. The presentation listed projected 2025 replenishment purchases for flashbangs, tear-gas supplies, the ARV (Bearcat), a tactical robot and two less-lethal launchers but did not specify dollar amounts for those projected purchases.

The public portion of the meeting drew no questions from in-person or Zoom attendees, and Lima closed the session after inviting comments. The report and associated ordinance and policy references were identified in the presentation as posted on the DPS page of the city website under the AB 481 military-equipment link.

The department and the report reference existing municipal policy and prior council actions: Assembly Bill 481 (state law requiring reporting and oversight for certain military equipment); Sunnyvale ordinance No. 3191-22 and Sunnyvale DPS Policy No. 705, approved April 5, 2022, which govern funding, acquisition and use of the listed equipment; and an internal reference to RTC No. 25-0579 as the council action to renew the policy and receive the report for review.