Assembly Bill 481 - Military Equipment Funding, Acquisition and Use Policy

On September 30, 2021, Governor Newsom signed AB 481 which directed law enforcement agencies to establish rules for the funding, acquisition and/or use of military equipment.

  • The full text of AB 481 is available here.
  • The Irvine Police Department Annual Report on the Police Use of Military Equipment for the 2023 Reporting Period – Calendar Year 2022 is available here.

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 by April 30, 2022, in order to continue the use of previously acquired equipment effective May 1, 2022.

  • Irvine Police Department’s Military Equipment Use Policy, Lexipol Policy 707 is available to view here. The AB 481 defined list of military equipment currently in the Irvine Police Department’s possession is included in the policy, as well as each items purpose, authorized use, expected lifespan and fiscal impact
  • The Irvine Police Department has an established complaint process outlined in Lexipol policy 227.4.2. The policy can be found here
  • The Irvine Police Department will prepare an Annual Report to include the use of military equipment, any complaints received, any internal audits or other information about violations of the Irvine Police Department's Military Equipment Use policy.  This webpage will be utilized for distribution of any updates to the above materials as well as for the Annual Report. The first Annual Report will be distributed on or around May, 2023

NOTE:  The Irvine Police Department does not possess or utilize any military equipment procured from the United States Department of Defense through the Law Enforcement Support Program (also known as the 1028 or 1033 program).

Public Input Regarding AB 481

As required for transparency, the Irvine Police Department has uploaded Lexipol Policy 707 on this website 30-days prior to a public meeting to satisfy the requirements of AB 481. The public hearing is scheduled for April 12, 2022.