Inventory records for special equipment (Bell Gardens Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the California Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

Inventory records of equipment in the agency's possession, if any, for the following types of equipment, for which new state legislation requires publication of information:

(1) Unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial or ground vehicles.
(2) Mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles or armored personnel carriers. However, police versions of standard consumer vehicles are specifically excluded from this subdivision.
(3) High mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV), commonly referred to as Humvees, two and one-half-ton trucks, five-ton trucks, or wheeled vehicles that have a breaching or entry apparatus attached. However, unarmored all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and motorized dirt bikes are specifically excluded from this subdivision.
(4) Tracked armored vehicles that provide ballistic protection to their occupants and utilize a tracked system instead of wheels for forward motion.
(5) Command and control vehicles that are either built or modified to facilitate the operational control and direction of public safety units.
(6) Weaponized aircraft, vessels, or vehicles of any kind.
(7) Battering rams, slugs, and breaching apparatuses that are explosive in nature. However, items designed to remove a lock, such as bolt cutters, or a handheld ram designed to be operated by one person, are specifically excluded from this subdivision.
(8) Firearms of .50 caliber or greater. However, standard issue shotguns are specifically excluded from this subdivision.
(9) Ammunition of .50 caliber or greater. However, standard issue shotgun ammunition is specifically excluded from this subdivision.
(10) Specialized firearms and ammunition of less than .50 caliber, including assault weapons as defined in Sections 30510 and 30515 of the Penal Code, with the exception of standard issue service weapons and ammunition of less than .50 caliber that are issued to officers, agents, or employees of a law enforcement agency or a state agency.
(11) Any firearm or firearm accessory that is designed to launch explosive projectiles.
(12) “Flashbang” grenades and explosive breaching tools, “tear gas,” and “pepper balls,” excluding standard, service-issued handheld pepper spray.
(13) Taser Shockwave, microwave weapons, water cannons, and the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD).
(14) The following projectile launch platforms and their associated munitions: 40mm projectile launchers, “bean bag,” rubber bullet, and specialty impact munition (SIM) weapons.

Please include equipment that may be assigned to or designated for use by special units or jails.

Please note that the above list of types of equipment is taken verbatim from legislation enacted on September 30, 2021 (AB 481, see https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB481). This legislation will require all police departments and sheriff offices in California to publish use policies by May 1, 2022 that include, for each type of equipment named above that the agency has acquired and seeks to continue to use, "a description of each type of military equipment, the quantity [acquired], its capabilities, expected lifespan, and product descriptions from the manufacturer of the military equipment." The legislation requires that agencies publish this information on their web sites and submit the information to local city councils or boards of supervisors.

In other words, the legislature has determined that information on the number and description of these articles possessed by law enforcement agencies in California is not exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

If you would like to discuss this request, please feel free to reach out to me, John Lindsay-Poland, American Friends Service Committee, at 510-282-8983.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

John Lindsay-Poland

Dear Nancy,

Thanks so much for your help with this request. I appreciate it.

Sincerely,
John Lindsay-Poland