AB 481 was authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) to address the funding, acquisition and use of military equipment. 

Read the full AB841 Text here

Read the 2025 Military Equipment Use Report here

AB 481 Definition of Military Equipment

The Assembly Bill has designated the following categories of items as military equipment. The Santa Clara Police Department has equipment that meets the criteria for 7 of the 15 categories (categories 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 14):

Requirements of AB 481 and Initial Action 

In 2022, AB 481 initially required each law enforcement agency's governing body to:

NOTE:  SCPD has not obtained, nor does it utilize, any equipment procured from the United States Department of Defense through the Law Enforcement Support Program (also known as the 1028 or 1033 program).

2025 Annual Report and the Community Engagement Process

AB 481 guidelines were used to establish the following community engagement process:

• Information was disseminated via GovDelivery and the Police Department's social media platforms on January 16, 2026; a draft Annual Report was published the same day and subsequently discussed during a Public Meeting on January 26, 2026.
• Public input was incorporated into the final version of the report and posted here on January 30, 2026.
• The 2025 Annual Report includes the use of military equipment, complaints received, internal audits or other information about policy violations, the cost of such use and other similar information.
• City Council approved item 2.K at the March 10, 2026 meeting (Report to Council #26-85).