S.F. Police Commission reviews AB 481 report, details drone flights, armored vehicle and crowd‑control gear

San Francisco police presented the department's AB 481 annual report on the use and acquisition of military‑grade equipment to the Police Commission, detailing deployments of drones, armored vehicles, tactical munitions and other items and noting the department held multiple community meetings to discuss the report.

The report and presentation outlined counts, deployment totals and acquisition intentions for last year and said the department received no complaints connected to the listed items. "There were no complaints on the use of any of the items I mentioned here," Steven Lopez, senior legislative liaison for the department, told commissioners.

Why it matters: AB 481 requires local law enforcement agencies in California to disclose their inventory and use of certain "military equipment," to hold community outreach and to report costs and planned acquisitions. The commission and community members have used the annual reports to ask questions about transparency, oversight and how new technologies such as drones and license‑plate readers are used in…