Assembly Bill 481 - Military Equipment Funding, Acquisition and Use Policy
On September 30, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 481 into law. This law directs law enforcement agencies to establish rules for the funding, acquisition and/or use of military equipment. The full text of AB 481 is available at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov - AB481.
Requirements of AB 481
AB 481 requires each law enforcement agency's governing body to adopt a written military equipment use policy by ordinance in a public forum before May 1, 2022.
The Signal Hill Police Department’s Military Equipment Use Policy, is available to view here. The AB 481-defined list of military equipment in the Signal Hill Police Department’s possession is in the policy, and includes each item’s purpose, authorized use, expected lifespan, and fiscal impact.
The Signal Hill Police Department will prepare an Annual Report that includes the use of military equipment, any complaints received, any internal audits or other information about violations of its Military Equipment Use policy. This report, and any associated information, will be published on this webpage yearly beginning with 2023.