California Assembly Bill (AB) 481

What is AB 481?

California Assembly Bill (AB) 481 requires California law enforcement agencies to obtain approval of a Military Equipment Use Policy by their applicable governing body prior to taking certain actions related to the funding, acquisition or use of military equipment as defined by the legislature.

The UC Board of Regents is the governing body for the ten UC Police Departments.

Promoting Transparency

To help guide this process and create transparency for our community, the UC San Diego Police Department established this webpage to provide all required materials, including policy, current applicable equipment, full text of the bill and information on the governing body public meetings.

• UC San Diego Police Department Policy 706
• UC San Diego Police Department Annual Report and Updated Military Equipment Inventory
• California Legislature AB 481 (full text)
• UC Regents Meeting Agendas and Schedule

Process

At the September 2022 Regents meeting, the UC Regents approved the UC San Diego Police Department's Military Equipment Policy and list of military equipment.

The UC San Diego Police Department is required to submit an annual report to the UC Regents, who will review and vote on whether to renew any ordinance that they have adopted pursuant to AB481 approving the funding, acquisition, or use of military equipment.

Public Input Regarding AB 481

In August 2022, the UC San Diego Police Department uploaded its draft Military Equipment Use Policy (706), the UC Police Military Equipment Inventory, and the full text of AB 481 on this website 30 days prior to the UC Regents meeting on September 22, 2022. UC San Diego PD did not receive any questions or concerns from the public.

The UC San Diego Police Department's 2023 annual military equipment report listed above was publicly released on this website on August 29, 2023. Pursuant to Government Code Section 7072(b), a community engagement meeting is required to be held within 30 days of that date.The community engagement meeting is scheduled to be held via Zoom on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 11 a.m. Register here.

Members of the public are encouraged to contact the UC San Diego Police Department at askacop@ucsd.edu with any questions or concerns about the department's compliance with AB 481.

The UC San Diego Police Department 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).