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Santa Cruz approves police AB 481 report and Skydio drones; council declines ACLU transparency directive
Summary
Council accepted the police department's annual AB 481 military equipment report and approved the proposed acquisition of two Skydio R10 UAS units; an amendment directing staff to address ACLU cost‑reporting and consumables concerns failed on a 4‑3 vote.
The Santa Cruz City Council voted to accept the Santa Cruz Police Department's annual AB 481 military equipment report and authorized the department's requested updates, including procurement of two Skydio R10 unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The vote approved the department's recommendations on categories of equipment and related policy language.
Sergeant Josh Trog summarized the report's categories — robotics and UAS, the Bearcat armored vehicle, command and control vehicles, specialized firearms and less‑lethal munitions — and gave a use summary that included training, assisting other agencies and limited field deployments. The department said the proposed Skydio R10 units have no payload capability, include advanced collision avoidance and two‑way communication, and would be purchased under a five‑year contract at about $29,177 per unit using asset forfeiture funds.
The Police Accountability and Transparency Committee and members of the public raised questions about the level of financial detail in the report, particularly whether the city is itemizing annual personnel, storage, transportation and maintenance costs for military equipment and whether consumable munitions (flash bangs, tear gas, 40mm rounds) should be reported with quantity estimates for the coming year. Lee Brokaw of the ACLU‑affiliated oversight committee read a letter arguing the reports should provide itemized annual costs and specific consumable quantities.
Councilmember Brunner moved the staff recommendation and added a direction instructing the city manager, chief of police and city attorney to review ACLU concerns about AB 481 reporting — including cost reporting, consumable quantities, and use reporting — and to return to council within six months with an informational report. That amendment was brought to a separate vote and failed by a 4‑3 margin.
Council member O'Hara, who sponsored the motion to request the follow‑up, argued the review would help improve transparency and clarify what is feasible for the department to report without imposing undue administrative burdens. Councilmember Golder opposed the added directive, saying it would create extra bureaucracy for a department already stretched thin and noting the department had answered questions at a public meeting.
The final action approved staff recommendations 1–3 as presented in the police packet (policy updates, equipment list and the Skydio R10 addition); the staff‑recommended policy language and acquisition are now authorized to proceed under the department's policies and funding plan.
What comes next: the Skydio R10 procurement and policy revisions will be processed according to city purchasing and departmental policy; council declined a further directed study of ACLU reporting requests.
