The Williams City Council is gearing up to comply with new oversight requirements aimed at informing the public about any “military-style” equipment that its Police Department uses.
The council on March 16 introduced an ordinance to adopt a military equipment use policy, in compliance with Assembly Bill 481, which requires all California law enforcement agencies to be more transparent about the acquisition and use of certain equipment, such as armored vehicles, drones and robots, tear gas, less lethal shotguns, less-lethal explosive devices, battering rams, specialized firearms, and projectile launchers, among others.
Williams Police Chief Jim Saso said the term “military equipment,” as defined in AB 481, does not necessarily indicate equipment used by the military, but equipment typically used by law enforcement agencies across the country as “best practices to enhance citizens and officer safety.”
AB 481 was part of seven progressive police reform bills signed into law in 2021 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill was written by former Bay Area Assemblyman David Chiu to curb the purchase of decommissioned military vehicles by law enforcement, which he said were more “frequently deployed in low-income Black and Brown communities.”
The law requires all law enforcement agencies to adopt a military equipment use policy, publish annual reports, hold an annual public meeting, publish a list of military-type equipment on the agency’s website, and obtain City Council approval prior to the purchase of any military-type equipment and ammunition, regardless of cost.
“Our policy was written by Lexipol, who’s our policy manual supplier, and it’s vetted by attorneys that specialize in law enforcement,” Williams Chief of Police Jim Saso said.
While standard weapons are exempt from public scrutiny, Saso did list the agency’s 11 Colt AR-15 rifles, four Winchester M14 rifles, and a Smith and Wesson MP 15 rifle to be fully transparent. The department does not possess armored vehicles or the specialized less-lethal weapons required to be disclosed, but Saso said the department couldhave a need for less lethal equipment in the future.
Saso said he intends to go over the policy and the equipment his department uses at the public hearing, which will be held at 6 PM on April 20, inside City Council chambers.
The governing bodies of all California law enforcement agencies, including the District Attorney, are required to have their equipment policies and ordinances in place by May 1.
The Williams draft military equipment use policy and equipment inventory list are available on the department webpage under SB 978 Public Records, located on the city’s website at cityofwilliams.org. ■