The council this week authorized the Seal Beach Police Department to buy .223 / 5.56mm rifle ammunition. The total cost: $5,107.35, according to the staff report by Operations Bureau Capt. Michael Ezroj.
The vote was unanimous.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member pulls one or more items for further discussion. Nothing was pulled from this week’s consent calendar.
Background
“The Seal Beach City Council adopted Ordinance 1694, approving a ‘military equipment’ use policy, in April, 2022. This policy complies with Government Code sections 7070 through 7075 (AB 481) and requires the Police Department to obtain approval from the City Council prior to acquiring equipment that is covered by the policy,” Ezroj wrote.
“Under state law, once the City has adopted a compliant policy, law enforcement agencies are required to obtain approval from their respective governing body prior to funding, seeking funding, or acquiring ‘military equipment.’ Law enforcement agencies are not permitted to use ‘military equipment,’ as defined in state law, unless it is permitted by the policy. Law enforcement agencies are further required to submit an annual military equipment report to the governing body for as long as the equipment is available for use. Agencies are also required to attach a military equipment inventory to the policy,” Ezroj wrote.
“Items deemed to be ‘military equipment’ by AB 481 are used as a component of overall best practices for law enforcement agencies throughout the country. These tools have been tested in the field and are used by law enforcement agencies to enhance citizen and officer safety. Loss of these items would jeopardize the welfare of citizens and peace officers within the SBPD,” Ezroj wrote.
“The term ‘military equipment’, as used in AB 481, does not necessarily indicate equipment that has been used by the military. Pursuant to AB 481, items deemed to be ‘military equipment’ include, but are not limited to, unmanned aerial or ground vehicles, armored vehicles, command and control vehicles, pepper balls, less lethal shotguns, less lethal 40mm projectile launchers, long range acoustic devices, and flashbangs,” Ezroj wrote.
“SBPD is committed to using the most advanced tools and equipment to safeguard the citizens of Seal Beach and peace officers. Many items deemed to be ‘military equipment’ by AB 481 are employed by SBPD and law enforcement agencies across the country to specifically reduce risk to community members and to protect peace officers with adequate weapons and supplies. Some of the items covered by the policy provide peace officers with the ability to safely resolve volatile situations which otherwise escalate to a lethal force encounter. To that end, the ammunition that SBPD seeks approval to acquire is approved in the policy and will provide SBPD peace officers with vital tools that facilitate compliance with its stringent use of force policy,” Ezroj wrote.
“There are no reasonable alternatives to the ammunition requested in this report. SBPD officers are currently equipped and trained with the use of rifles. SBPD needs additional ammunition for ongoing operation, training, qualification, and reserve supplies,” Ezroj wrote.
“Patrol rifles, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) rifles, and sniper rifles enable officers when in compliance with the SBPD’s Use of Force Policy, to address medium to long distance threats, or those threats who are heavily armed, armored or both. Further, in both short and long-distance deployments, they allow officers precision shot placement minimizing the risk to officers and innocent citizens,” Ezroj wrote.
“There are no known alternatives to these weapons that will provide the same level of distance or precision,” Ezroj wrote.
