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Chico council accepts police's AB 481 military-equipment report after heated public hearing
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and council debate over proposed acquisitions, the Chico City Council accepted the Chico Police Department's annual Assembly Bill 481 report and military-equipment use policy review, but did not commit funds tonight for the larger purchase requests.
The Chico City Council voted 4-3 to accept the Chico Police Department's annual Assembly Bill 481 military equipment use report on Tuesday after an extended public hearing featuring more than a dozen speakers.
Captain Omar Pena, presenting the department's annual report, told the council that in 2025 the department recorded 154 incidents involving military equipment and that the bulk of those involved drones: "144 were drone deployments" and "439 flights of the drones," he said, explaining how the department counts incidents and deployments. Pena said the department is transitioning to American-made drones (Skydio X10) and is seeking authority to pursue funding for proposed 2026 acquisitions, including three Skydio drones (about $20,000 each), consumable less-lethal…
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