Military Equipment Use Policy

The UC Davis 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 new law’s definition of “military equipment” provides the UC Davis Police Department with less lethal alternatives to traditional standard-issue firearms, for use in extraordinary public safety circumstances.

Tangentially, UC Davis also has a campuswide policy (PPM 350-10) to reflect that UC Davis does not use or receive goods from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) 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 UC Davis Police Department established this webpage to provide all required materials including policy, current applicable equipment, and full text of the bill.

Public Input Regarding AB 481

The UC Davis Police Department has uploaded its Military Equipment Use Policy (709), the UC Police Military Equipment Inventory, and the full text of AB 481 on this website 30 days prior to our public meeting, which was hosted by the UC Davis Accountability Board during a special session on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. The minutes for the meeting can be found here.

Members of the public are encouraged to contact Kate Folker (UC Davis Police Department) or Jerome Mayer-Cantú (UC Office of the President) with any questions or concerns.