Santa Ana council accepts late military-equipment reports; votes 4-3 to receive files

Santa Ana City Council on Tuesday voted 4-3 to receive and file three annual military-equipment use reports covering 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 and to reaffirm the city's 2022 ordinance governing such equipment.

The move formally accepted reports the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) filed late under state law and prompted extended public comment and council debate about whether the department's use of less-lethal launchers, armored vehicles and other equipment had eroded public trust.

Commander Mark Sorensen of SAPD gave the council a line-by-line accounting of the 2024-25 report and explained the department's corrective actions. He said the department recorded 30 incidents in 2024-25 in which defined military equipment was deployed, including "19 deployments of patrol rifles, nine deployments of 40-millimeter less-lethal launchers, six deployments of SWAT rifles, eight deployments of the Teradyne armored rescue vehicle and one deployment of a borrowed drone from another agency." He told council the department has set internal calendars and reporting measures to avoid future delays.

Council members and multiple public speakers disputed whether the equipment was used appropriately. Councilmember Jonathan Hernandez, who opposed the motion, said the June 9 protest response had harmed public trust and argued the city should refuse continued authorization: "If we continue the practice of utilizing militarized equipment, the public will continue to be brutalized and liabilities will continue," Hernandez said. Mayor Pro Tem BenjamEDn Vasquez and Councilmember Miguel Lopez joined Hernandez in voting no. Councilmember Angel Becerra moved to receive and file the reports; Councilmember Phan seconded the motion.

SAPD reported that during the three reporting years the defined equipment was employed as a force option in a small number of incidents (commander's summary cited eight incidents across the multi-year period involving 40mm projectiles) and that no officer-involved fatality resulted from the reported deployments. Sorensen stressed the distinction between "deployment" (equipment removed from vehicles or staged) and "employment" (actually fired or used as force).

The department's presentation included call-volume context: roughly 126,000 to 129,000 calls for service each year and a per-year rate of military-equipment deployments of 0.015% (2022-23), 0.054% (2023-24) and 0.023% (2024-25). The item drew extended public comment and demands for stronger civilian oversight; several speakers urged rejection of Item 10, citing concerns about AB 481 compliance and the use of federal grant-funded equipment.

Council action

- Motion by Councilmember Angel Becerra, second by Councilmember Phan, to receive and file the three SAPD military-equipment use reports and affirm ordinance NS-30-20. - Vote: 4 ayes, 3 nays. Nays: Mayor Pro Tem Benjamin Vasquez; Councilmembers Jonathan Hernandez and Miguel Lopez. Outcome: approved.

Council members who supported the motion said the reports now on the website and the department's stated corrective steps were an appropriate near-term remedy; dissenting council members said delayed reporting and recent crowd-control deployments demanded stronger limits and independent review.

What's next

The chief and department leaders said they would hold community meetings on the reports (with translated services and validated parking requested by council members) and that any future acquisition or procurement of military equipment would require separate council approval. Commander Sorensen said no new purchases were on this agenda and that some earlier reporting gaps were caused by administrative transitions; he said supervisors now have direct reporting access in the records-management system.

Ending: The council vote finalized receipt of three years of reports and left open separate, ongoing debate about policy, public meetings and enhanced oversight mechanisms. Quotes in this article come from council members and SAPD officers who spoke at the meeting.