The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting a community presentation to share required annual military equipment reports with the public. All Santa Barbara County residents are invited to attend.
The report and corresponding community meeting are part of the legislation (Assembly Bill 481) signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30, 2021, intended to increase public transparency and provide government oversight when California law enforcement agencies seek to fund, acquire, and/or use “military equipment.”
On May 25, 2022, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved the local ordinance tied to AB 481 (SB Ordinance 5157) and approved policies related to military equipment.
The term “military equipment” does not necessarily indicate equipment used by the military. Most of the equipment possessed by the Sheriff’s Office is used by most law enforcement agencies across the country to enhance community and officer safety.
The Sheriff’s Office will also provide information on the additional items it possesses that were obtained from the federal government through the Defense Logistics Agency Law Enforcement Support Office military surplus equipment program.
The Military Equipment Annual Report is available here.
The presentations will be on the following dates:
May 28 at the Goleta Community Center: 6-6:30 p.m. in English; 6:30-7 p.m. in Spanish.
June 9 at Santa Maria Library-Sheperd Hall: 6-6:30 p.m. in English; 6:30-7 p.m. in Spanish