The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department will host a community meeting March 29 about the funding, acquisition and use of military weapons in light of a new state law.
The law, Assembly Bill 481, requires police agencies to get approval from state or local bodies for purchasing or fundraising for military weapons.
The department will hold a virtual community meeting at 7 p.m. via Zoom to discuss the law, the department’s current military equipment inventory and its proposed plan for funding, acquiring and using military weapons.
The meeting is required by law, and aims to increase transparency and adopt regulations for military-level equipment.
The new law is one of seven major police officer reform bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law last September. It requires law enforcement agencies to adopt a written military use policy ordinance by April 30 to be able to use military weaponry that they already own. The law also establishes a concerns and complaints process.
Armored vehicles, battering rams, command and control vehicles, firearms of .50 caliber or greater and others are considered military equipment under the law.
The Santa Clara Police Department hosted a similar meeting earlier this year and facilitated two focus group meetings and two public forums.
Community members can email any questions about the department’s military equipment and weapons to police@losgatosca.gov.
Insider reported that in 2020, the U.S. had spent more than $15 billion on the militarization of the police
Military equipment and weapons are typically acquired through a program called 1033, an online marketplace that distributes excess military goods as federal grants-in-aid to police, sheriffs and other agencies, the Washington Post reported.
Up to 2017, police couldn’t be in the program unless they used the equipment within a year of receiving it.
The Zoom link to the meeting can be found at https://nextdoor.com/agency-detail/ca/los-gatos/los-gatos-monte-sereno-police-department or on the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department Facebook page, www.facebook.com/LGMSPolice/posts/480253836928329.
Source: www.mercurynews.com