Escondido council renews approval of police military-equipment policy and annual report under AB 481

The Escondido City Council voted 4-0 to adopt ordinance 2025-O2 and approve the Escondido Police Department's annual military equipment report required under Assembly Bill 481.

Interim Police Chief Ryan Banks presented the department's annual report and the accompanying military equipment use policy, which AB 481 requires for funding, acquisition and use of specified equipment. "We established a military equipment use policy," Banks said, summarizing the department's compliance actions: "We compile complaints regarding these items, public transparency, and we have city council oversight."

The report cataloged the department's equipment and documented operational uses in 2024. Banks listed inventory items and usage counts:

- Drones: 211 missions totaling 53.83 flight hours. - Robotic platform: 0 uses. - Incident command vehicle: approximately 13 uses. - Armored personnel carrier: roughly six uses per month on average. - Breaching equipment: used eight times. - Patrol and SWAT rifles: 0 reported uses. - 40mm launchers: 17 uses and six additional instances where units were displayed but not fired. - Chemical agent munitions: 3 uses.

Banks also presented a video, produced from a drone deployment, showing a May 31, 2024 incident in which a drone located an alleged suspect who had fled and hidden in a yard. He said the drone maintained observation until SWAT units could safely contain and negotiate an apprehension.

Public comment included a resident, Luis, who praised police work but complained about a front-desk incident at the police station: "The lady in the front desk, she was screaming at me. She told me she was not gonna give me service." City staff noted the department received no formal AB 481 complaints in 2024.

Council members praised the department's transparency and the annual report as meeting the statute's public-accountability goals. Councilors asked about training and whether drone operators require FAA authorization; staff replied operators complete training and FAA certification. When asked about "chemical agents," Banks explained the category: "Any munitions that is meant to deliver any sort of chemical agent that would be like an irritant. So tear gas, CS gas, OC, things of that nature."

The council unanimously approved the ordinance and the annual report. Staff said the department's military equipment policy is publicly posted on the Escondido Police Department website and that the council will conduct an annual review as required by AB 481.

Actions taken: adoption of ordinance 2025-O2 and approval of the 2024 Escondido Police Department military equipment annual report; motion passed 4-0.