Assembly Bill 481 - Military Equipment Funding, Acquisition and Use Policy

On September 30, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 481 into law. This law directs law enforcement agencies to establish rules for the funding, acquisition and/or use of military equipment. The full text of AB 481 is available at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/bill.

Requirements of AB 481

AB 481 requires each law enforcement agency's governing body to adopt a written military equipment use policy. The Cypress Police Department Policy Manual can be found here:

Cypress Police Department Policy Manual

• The Cypress Police Department’s Military Equipment Use Policy, Policy 708 was approved by City Council in April 2022. The AB 481-defined list of military equipment in the Cypress Police Department’s possession is in the policy, and includes each item’s purpose, authorized use, expected lifespan, and fiscal impact.
• The Cypress Police Department will prepare an Annual Report that includes the use of military equipment, any complaints received, any internal audits or other information about violations of its Military Equipment Use policy. This report, and any associated information, will be published on this webpage. The first Annual Report will be distributed in or around May of 2023.

Annual Military Equipment Report 2024 Questions:

A summary of how the military equipment was used and the purpose of its use: 
The Cypress Police Department had zero military equipment deployments in the City of Cypress in 2023. Cypress PD does participate on the West County Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), which includes the cities of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach and Westminster. For military equipment deployments in these cities, the public may refer to these agencies military equipment annual report. 

A summary of any complaints or concerns received concerning the military equipment: 
No violations were discovered in 2023 and officers were found to be operating in a manner which met or exceeded Department and community expectations. The Cypress Police Department did not receive any complains or concerns related to the use of military equipment.

The results of any internal audits, any information about violations of the military equipment use policy, and any actions taken in response: 
The Department conducted an internal audit and determined that there were no violations of the military equipment use policy. 

The total annual cost for each type of military equipment, including acquisition, personnel, training, transportation, maintenance, storage, upgrade, and other ongoing costs, and from what source funds will be provided for the military equipment in the calendar year following submission of the annual military equipment report: 
See the current inventory of military equipment which includes initial purchase costs:
Current List of Cypress PD Military Equipment (2024)

The quantity possessed for each type of military equipment:
See the current inventory of military equipment for quantity possessed:
Current List of Cypress PD Military Equipment (2024)

If the law enforcement agency intends to acquire additional military equipment in the next year, the quantity sought for each type of military equipment: 

The Cypress Police Department has proposed purchasing 8 replacement rifles in the Fiscal-Year 2024/25 budget. These will replace current rifles. Additional ammunition and chemical agents which need to be replenished after being used in the field or in training environments will also be purchased. All items needing to be replenished or replaced are included in our policy.

The 2024 Annual Military Equipment Report will be part of the Cypress City Council agenda for July 8, 2024. For any questions or comments regarding this report, please contact Lieutenant Dean Pinvidic via e-mail at dpinvidic@cypressca.org or by phone at 714-229-6624.