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The City Council on Monday passed a second reading of an ordinance establishing a policy that requires the Pasadena Police Department to publicly list all city-owned military-grade weapons.
The policy was previously changed to include some clarification on the use of .50 Caliber Precision Rifles after some members of the council during a meeting last May 23 expressed concerns on its use.
The adopted policy states that the weapon’s primary purpose is not for use against people unless necessary to save lives.
State Assembly Bill 481 or the Military Equipment Use Policy law, which took effect in January 2022, requires police departments to draft a military equipment use policy disclosing all of their military-grade weapons, their capabilities, purchase cost and purpose, as part of a broader effort to increase transparency and accountability within police departments.
The law requires the City Council to adopt the policy and review it annually.
The law also requires departments to give an annual report on all costs related to the military weapons and to get approval from the City Council before purchasing new military weapons, among a few other requirements.
The city police’s inventory includes a robot used to help de-escalate situations and determine if a suspect is armed, a drone, an armored Bearcat vehicle, a mobile command post, lock-defeating rounds that allow quick access during active shooter and hostage situations, .50 caliber precision rifle and ammunition, flashbang devices, tear gas and other chemical agents, barricade penetrating rounds, foam rounds, pepperball launcher, 40mm less-lethal rounds, among other items.
The complete list of Pasadena’s equipment and their purpose can be found here: https://www.cityofpasadena.
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