Equipment and Assembly Bill 481

The only pieces of qualifying equipment as defined by AB 481 currently in the possession of the Palo Alto Police Department are the following items.  It is important to note that the PAPD has possessed this equipment for years (in some cases, decades), and all of it is designed specifically for a law enforcement (not military) application.

• Command and control vehicle (the Mobile Emergency Operations Center, or MEOC, which resembles a large recreational vehicle and serves as a mobile command post at critical incidents, disasters, or special events, as well as a back-up 9-1-1 dispatch center in the event the City’s main dispatch center is compromised or unavailable; the MEOC is most typically operated by the City’s Office of Emergency Services).
  
  
• Less lethal munitions (rubber projectiles fired from a handheld launcher, available to all properly-certified sworn officers to provide less lethal use of force options to safely effectuate arrests of criminal suspects in limited situations).
  
  
• Chemical agents (paintball-type projectiles containing a pepper-based irritant powder fired from a handheld launcher, available to all properly-certified sworn officers to provide less lethal use of force options to safely effectuate arrests of criminal suspects in limited situations; also canisters containing a substance commonly referred to as “teargas," used exclusively by members of the Department’s SWAT team who have received specialized additional training to provide less lethal use of force options to safely effectuate arrests of criminal suspects in limited situations).

• Diversionary devices (commonly referred to as “flashbangs," used exclusively by members of the Department’s SWAT team who have received specialized additional training; the equipment creates an auditory and visual diversion to facilitate the operation of tactical teams during a critical public safety incident).

• Long-range acoustic device (similar to a megaphone, used by properly-trained sworn personnel to facilitate communication with subjects from a safe distance).

• One sniper rifle with associated ammunition (used exclusively by members of the Department’s SWAT team who have received specialized additional training, which allows them to address threats with greater precision at a greater distance).

The Palo Alto Police Department does not possess any unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), robots, armored tactical vehicles, or other types of qualifying equipment as defined in AB 481.

For more information about this equipment, please view the approved policy(PDF, 387KB). Specific detail on each piece of qualifying equipment possessed by the Department appears in Section "G," which begins on page four of the policy (page seven of that document in its entirety).

None. The policy does not include a request to acquire any new types of equipment.

AB 481 requires that agencies produce a report annually discussing the use of the equipment; those are viewable below.  Each annual report is required to include the following:

• Summary of how each type of equipment was used and the purpose of that use;
• Quantity possessed of each type of equipment;
• Annual costs for each type of equipment;
• Summary of complaints or concerns received for each type of equipment;
• Information disclosing violations of military equipment policies and actions taken in response, as well as the result of internal audits; and;
• Plans to acquire additional military equipment in the coming year, and the quantity sought. 
  
  

2024 AB 481 Annual Report(PDF, 296KB)

2023 AB 481 Annual Report(PDF, 223KB)

The Palo Alto Police Department’s first AB 481 policy was approved by the City Council on September 27, 2022. It can be viewed via the link above on this page, and public input on the policy can be shared through the form at the bottom of this page. The City Council considered a draft proposed policy at its regular meeting on September 12, 2022 (read the staff report for this item(PDF, 491KB) ) and voted 7-0 to approve it; the City Council voted 7-0 to approve an ordinance that incorporated the policy on September 27, 2022 (read the staff report for this item as well as the ordinance itself(PDF, 387KB) ). It should be noted that the policy approved in September 2022 did not contemplate the addition of any new type of equipment; it simply described equipment already in the Police Department’s possession.

AB 481 requires that the City Council provide ongoing authorization on an annual basis for the ongoing possession and use of the equipment.  City Council last reviewed the policy on November 4, 2024, and will next review it in the fall of 2025.

AB 481 requires that the Department host an annual community engagement meeting at which the general public can discuss the equipment and ask questions. The last community meeting occurred on October 9, 2024, and you are welcome to view a recording of the meeting on the Department's YouTube channel.  The next community meeting will occur in the fall of 2025.