The Long Beach City Council voted Tuesday to delay the approval of the police department’s new, state-mandated military equipment use policy in order to give residents more time to comment on the policy.
Under Assembly Bill 481, local law enforcement agencies must catalog their military equipment and create policies for their use.
Those policies must be approved by their local governing body—in this case the Long Beach City Council—in order to use the military equipment in their possession or to purchase new equipment.
The Long Beach Police Department currently holds $3.1 million worth of military equipment—including projectile launchers, four armored BearCat vehicles, tear gas, night vision goggles, explosive breaching devices, semi-automatic rifles, unmanned aerial vehicles and robots.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the Military Equipment Use Policy law (AB 481) to “provide transparency, oversight, and an opportunity for public input on decisions regarding whether and how military equipment is funded, acquired, or used,” according to the bill. It took effect in January 2022.
The LBPD began to circulate its policy on May 6, allowing for 30 days of inspection and feedback from the public. The council was expected to discuss and approve the policy on Tuesday.
However, the police department updated the policy on Friday, June 29, to add a grant-funded Strongwatch Freedom On-The-Move mobile surveillance system, which was deployed during 2020 protests against police brutality.
Due to the change in the inventory, City Attorney Charles Parkin requested the item be withdrawn to allow for another 30 days of public feedback on the updated policy.
Long Beach Police Department equipment includes drones, tear gas, armored vehicles and semi-automatic rifles
Under AB 481, “military equipment” runs the gamut of different weaponry, tools and munitions used by local law enforcement—including things like indoor, outdoor and underwater drones, armored vehicles, battering rams, firearms and ammunition of .50 caliber or greater, specialized firearms and assault weapons, tear gas and less-lethal munitions, among other items.
The Long Beach Police Department is currently in possession of millions of dollars worth of military equipment, including four armored vehicles that cost a combined $1 million, approximately.
The vehicles can seat varying numbers of personnel—six to 16 depending on the size—and can stop projectiles and armor officers from oncoming fire. The armored suburban is the most affordable of the bunch, carrying a $90,000 price tag. The three BearCat armored vehicles range from $225,000 to $325,682.
For investigations and patrols, their inventory includes 3,320 rounds of less-lethal plastic and foam projectiles, which were fired at protesters during a series of 2020 protests against police brutality. The projectiles, which cost a total $59,760, have a five-year expiry date.
The department has an additional 2,450 foam projectiles of the same type reserved for SWAT teams at a total cost of $44,100. These are in addition to over $200,000 in other various munitions for firearms and projectile launchers.
In the “tear gas” section, the department lists 162 flameless tri-chamber gas grenades “designed primarily for indoor tactical situations to detect and/or dislodge a barricaded subject,” though the report makes note that the grenades can also be used for crowd control. At $45 a pop, the department has spent $7,290 on the devices.
The department also has three robots ($185,000 total) to deploy for high-risk warrant services, barricaded subjects, hostage negotiation or rescue situations.
The Strongwatch Freedom On-The-Move camera vehicle—which delayed council discussions on the policy—was added after Beachcomber reporter Stephen Downing sent an inquiry to the police department asking why it had not been included, according to a letter he submitted to the council.
The inventory describes the item as a “rugged, reliable and easy to use mobile surveillance system that provides rapid risk assessment and situational awareness through real-time, actionable intelligence.” The device is mounted on the bed of a truck and is capable of live-streaming video to police in a command center.
The device was obtained in 2014 and was deployed during 2020 marches against police brutality. The inventory does not list the cost of the device.
The full inventory of the Long Beach Police Department’s military equipment includes each item’s capabilities, manufacturer’s description, purposes and authorized uses, expected lifespan, initial cost, ongoing maintenance costs and quantity of equipment maintained or sought.
Here’s what the Long Beach Police Department has cataloged in its proposed military use policy and inventory:
| Equipment | Number of Items | Cost Per Item | Total Cost |
| MILITARY EQUIPMENT: PATROLS/INVESTIGATIONS | |||
| Projectile launch platforms | 164 | $1,000 | $164,000 |
| Less-lethal plastic and foam projectile munitions for patrols/investigations | 3,320 rounds | $18 | $59,760 |
| Semi-Automatic Patrol Rifles (more powerful than a standard pistol but less powerful than a standard rifle) | 67 | $1,650 | $110,550 |
| Munition for patrol rifles (.223 55gr ballistic silvertip) | 4,700 | $0.68 | $3,196 |
| MILITARY EQUIPMENT: SWAT | |||
| Armored vehicles (LENCO Bear G1, LENCO Bearcat G1, LENCO Bearcat G2, armored suburban) | 4 | Varying | $929,682 |
| Explosive Breaching Tools | Varying | Varying | $4,855 |
| Rifles, varying | 47 | Varying | $142,500 |
| Night Vision Goggles | 16 | $2,570 | $41,120 |
| Projectile Launchers (single and double-shot) | 43 | Varying | $50,500 |
| Less-lethal plastic and foam projectile munitions for SWAT teams | 2,450 rounds | $18 | $44,100 |
| Other projectile launcher munitions | 92 | Varying | $2,668 |
| Tear Gas: Canisters, Grenades, Munitions | 811 | Varying | $27,242 |
| Distraction Devices | 72 | $92 | $6,624 |
| Robots | 3 | Varying | $185,000 |
| Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | 6 | Varying | $35,000 |
| MILITARY EQUIPMENT FOR SUPPORT | |||
| Dive Remote-Operated Vehicle | 1 | $70,000 | $70,000 |
| Maritime Emergency Operations Center (Vehicle) | 1 | $800,000 and $175,000 in retrofitting | $975,000 |
| Port Rifles (AR-15s and AR-10s) | 11 | Varying | $32,400 |
| Port Ammunition (Varying Winchester and Hornady munitions) | 6,100 | Varying ($0.20 to $1.25) | $3,511 |
| Projectile launch platforms and association sponge munitions | 2 launchers, 100 rounds | Varying | $3,800 |
| Mobile Video Surveillance System | 1 | Grant-funded | Unknown |
| MILITARY EQUIPMENT: AMMUNITION STORAGE | |||
| Ammunition (Varying Barett, Hornady and Winchester munitions) | 379,400 rounds | Varying ($0.20 to $10) | $194,289 |
Signal Hill City Council approved similar state-mandated policy last week
Long Beach’s smorgasbord of weaponry dwarfs Signal Hill’s military equipment, which has a population 39 times smaller than the city of Long Beach, according to recent census data.
During its June 28 meeting, the Signal Hill Police Department shared that it has 12 semi-automatic rifles, 7,000 rounds of Winchester .223 Remington ammunition, 11 submachine guns, one grenade launcher, 50 smoke grenades and 270 rounds of less-lethal shotgun and bean bag munitions.
Both councils will be required to review the policy annually. Each will designate personnel to coordinate inventories.
Once passed, Long Beach’s final inventory and policy will be available on the police department’s website.
Residents can send questions and comments on the policy by emailing AB481@longbeach.gov.
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