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Police chief outlines equipment report and asks council to approve less-lethal launchers, rifle replacements
Summary
The Police Chief presented the department's annual military-equipment report, said no reportable gear was used last year, and said she will ask the city council to approve six 40‑mm less‑lethal launchers, replacement of six AR‑15s and purchase of seven additional rifles plus training rounds.
The Police Chief of Carmel-by-the-Sea told a required community meeting that the department did not use any reportable military equipment over the past year and that there have been no complaints related to such equipment. She said the city posts its military-use policy and annual equipment report online and invited public questions.
The chief said the state required reporting of military equipment after a September 2021 law and that the department follows that transparency requirement. "I promise you I am not going to buy a tank or anything like that for Carmel," she said, adding that the reporting requirement ensures residents know what equipment the department has, when it is used and how much it costs.
Why it matters: The chief framed the request as a safety and liability issue. She said officers currently share sight‑in settings on the department's six M4-style AR‑15 rifles and that it is standard practice and safer for each officer to have weapons individually sighted. "It is a safety issue and a liability to have unsighted rifles for our officers," she said.
The chief described the department's current inventory and proposed purchases. She said the department has six M4 AR‑15–style rifles that are aging and four Kel‑Tec KSG shotguns configured for less‑lethal projectiles, none of which were used last year. She said she will ask the council to approve three budget items: purchase of six 40‑mm launchers for less‑lethal projectiles (estimated at about $12,000 including ammunition), replacement of the six AR‑15 rifles and acquisition of seven additional rifles (total replacement estimated at about $30,000), and about $2,000 for training rounds for the new launchers.
On training costs, the chief said the department spends roughly $2,600–$2,700 per year on rifle training rounds (an approximate figure cited during the meeting) and will include training ammunition for the new launchers in the request to council.
Regional resources and oversight: The chief identified Sergeant Clifford of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Special Response Unit as present for questions about tactics and noted that the department trains with regional partners. She stressed that the items requested are intended to provide additional nonlethal options and improve safety, not to expand lethal capability.
Next steps: The chief said she will present the purchase requests to the city council for approval; no council vote or formal motion occurred at the meeting.
