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 policing.

The report lists 63 drones in the department's inventory and says those aircraft were deployed 350 times for criminal investigations, planned operations and training; the department reported leasing seven additional drones and said it intends to acquire 24 more. Lopez said the department posted a deployment log on the SFPD website that classifies each entry as training or a critical‑incident deployment.

The department also described its use of armored vehicles and tactical tools. The report notes use of an armored response vehicle (a BearCat) 42 times last year, primarily for search warrants and high‑risk incidents. The department listed 17 unmanned ground vehicles — small remote robots used as a de‑escalation and reconnaissance tool — and said those robots were used about 40 times, usually on search warrants or critical incidents. Long‑range acoustic devices (LRADs) were used 37 times, including for crowd management during the July Fourth period, and the department said it intends to seek an additional LRAD.

On less‑lethal munitions and tactical devices, the report lists 38 flash‑bang deployments, mainly at the exterior of residences during high‑risk search warrants; 58 uses of 40‑millimeter projectile launchers with less‑lethal rounds; and use of pepper‑ball systems. Lopez described pepper balls as giving officers more distance and time to effect compliance: the device "allows them to be a hundred feet away, 50 feet away," he said, compared with a handheld spray.

The report also discloses counts of specialized firearms and ammunition. The presentation lists, as included in the department report, "16 submachine guns, 2 30 semi semiotic rifles and 64 full automatic short barrel rifles" (the department's report text is reproduced verbatim in the AB 481 filing). Department staff told the commission that a department‑issued semi‑automatic rifle was used in an officer‑involved shooting last year that prompted a multi‑agency investigation.

The department said it conducted community outreach tied to the AB 481 report at seven police stations and provided copies of the report at those events. Commissioners and staff said drone capability and the use of drones in pursuits and sideshows were the leading questions from the public at those meetings.

Commissioner Kevin Benedicto praised the augmented outreach and said the added meetings addressed a recurring commission request for greater community engagement. Chief Scott — who spoke elsewhere in the meeting about technology and a real‑time investigation center but did not dispute the report's figures — and commission members said the posted report and station meetings mark progress toward transparency.

The department noted costs attached to some items in the AB 481 filing and said many proposed acquisitions remain conditional on fiscal availability. The report was posted on the department website in January 2025, staff told commissioners.

Ending: Commissioners asked for follow‑up information on a few items, including limited pilot programs for pursuit‑tracking devices and the number of certified drone pilots; staff said they would provide more details in subsequent briefings and on the department website.