What is AB 481?
The UC Santa Cruz Police Department has established policies related to use and acquisition of military-style equipment. These policies aim to comply with California Assembly Bill 481, which was signed into law in 2021.
Equipment that meets the law’s definition of “military equipment” provides the UCSC Police Department with less lethal alternatives to traditional standard-issue firearms, for use in extraordinary public safety circumstances.
Tangentially the UCSC 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).
What is AB 481?
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 UCSC Police Department established this webpage to provide all required materials including draft policy, current applicable equipment, and full text of the bill.
- UCSC Police Department Policy 710
- 2022-2023 UC Police Military Equipment Annual Report
- California Legislature AB 481 (Full Text)
- 2023 AB481 Community Meeting Download
Public Input Regarding AB 481
The UCSC Police Department has uploaded its Military Equipment Use Policy (710), the 2022-2023 UC Police Annual Report, and the full text of AB 481 on this website 30 days prior to a public meeting to meet the requirements of AB 481.
The 2022-2023 UCSC Annual Report community meeting was hosted by the UCSC Campus Safety Community Advisory Board on September 20th, 2023.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend public meetings and/or contact UCSC PD at police@ucsc.edu with any questions or concerns.
