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Santa Paula council renews police military‑equipment ordinance and accepts 2025 inventory report
Summary
Council accepted the Police Department's 2025 military equipment report and renewed Ordinance 13-15 as required by AB 481; Chief Don Aguilar listed seven categories the department holds (including one armored vehicle, a mobile command post and 40mm less‑lethal launchers with 74 foam projectiles).
The City Council reviewed and accepted the Santa Paula Police Department's 2025 military equipment annual report and voted to renew Ordinance 13‑15, the city's military equipment funding, acquisition and use policy, as required under Assembly Bill 481.
Chief Don Aguilar presented the inventory and policy review, explaining the department holds seven of the 15 categories referenced in the staff packet. "This presentation will provide the public tonight and the Council with the background on this annual approval task," the chief said. He listed the department's inventory: an armored vehicle (category 2), a mobile command post (category 5), a breaching shotgun (category 7), patrol rifles (specialized firearms, category 9), three types of light‑sound diversionary devices (flashbangs, category 11), OC and CS chemical agents (category 12), and 40mm projectile launchers with foam kinetic projectiles (category 14). The department reported 74 foam 40mm projectiles in inventory and noted it may purchase additional projectiles to support mutual‑aid responses.
The chief said purchases of additional 40mm munitions would be funded from supplemental law enforcement funds to augment less‑lethal options. He added officers assigned to those tools are trained and that some categories of equipment would be used only by a special response team, which the department plans to reestablish in the future.
Council members asked about the armored vehicle's origin and past uses; one councilmember noted the vehicle was previously used in mutual aid during riots and that it can also be repurposed in emergency scenarios where roads are impassable. Chief Aguilar confirmed no new equipment had been purchased since the last report and summarized the statutory review requirements under AB 481, including documentation of uses, complaints, audits, costs and quantities.
After discussion, Councilmember Chavez moved and Councilmember Marnellis seconded a motion to accept the inventory and renew the ordinance; the council approved the motion by voice vote.
Next steps: the renewal and inventory acceptance satisfy the annual AB 481 review; staff will continue to report on any proposed acquisitions and to document training and internal reviews as required by the ordinance.
