Pasadena Police to Take Public Questions on Military Equipment Report

The Pasadena Police Department will open its annual military equipment report to public questions Aug. 27, the yearly session state law requires before the City Council decides whether to keep authorizing the department’s drones, armored vehicles and less-lethal munitions.

The meeting covers the 2025-2026 Annual Military Equipment Report and runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Washington Park Community House, 700 E. Washington Blvd. Residents may ask questions and comment.

Assembly Bill 481, effective Jan. 1, 2022, bars California agencies from funding, acquiring or using equipment the statute classifies as military without an ordinance from their governing body. The annual report must cover each type’s use, complaints, audit results and policy violations, total cost and funding source, quantity held and planned purchases. The law counterbalances federal surplus programs, among them the Defense Department’s 1033 Program, that long made such equipment easy for local departments to obtain.

The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 7395, approving Policy 711, on June 20, 2022. The policy itemizes equipment quantities, capabilities, purchase costs, authorized uses and fiscal impact, and requires this meeting within 30 days of the report’s release.

Community Police Oversight Commission Chair Esprit Jones said ahead of last year’s session that residents may wonder “why do they need that?” about items in the inventory. Mayor Victor Gordo has cast the disclosure as openness and accountability.

The report then goes to the oversight commission and the Council’s Public Safety Committee, which advise the Council on renewing the ordinance.

Need to know: The Annual Military Equipment Report Community Engagement Meeting takes place Thursday, Aug. 27, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Washington Park Community House, 700 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104. For more, call Lt. Anthony Russo at (626) 744-7159, email arusso@cityofpasadena.net, or visit the city’s AB 481 page.