Oxnard—Police Commander Dan Whitmer presented the Oxnard Police Department’s 2023 Calendar Year Military Use Report to the City Council during its Tuesday, July 2, meeting.
THE action includes approving the continued authorization for funding, acquisition, and use of Military Equipment by the Oxnard Police Department’s Military Equipment Inventory, required by Government Code section 7071 (e)(2), and the transition of Military Equipment items: a Transcend Tactical Robotic device, 19 40mm projectile launchers, 22 .223 caliber rifles, 560 40mm projectile rounds, and eight sponge-around training kits.
Military Equipment is defined as Equipment manufactured, intended for use, or used by the Military. The Oxnard Police Department has utilized most of the Equipment defined in these codes for decades. Many items are not weapons, and most weapons are less lethal.
Whitmer said Assembly Bill 481 was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2021, due to concern about the Militarization of Police Departments in the United States and the use of surplus Military Equipment, codified in Government Sections 7070-7075, which went into effect January 1, 2022, to improve transparency.
“Law Enforcement Agencies must meet certain requirements to use equipment defined in these codes,” Whitmer said.
The Defense Logistics Agency’s 1033 Program, which…
