CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad City Council last week unanimously agreed to allow the police department to buy new drones and over a dozen less-lethal shot launchers and changed a policy to make it simpler for law enforcement to buy previously approved military-grade items.
During an April 9 council meeting, Carlsbad police requested two equipment purchases to replace obsolete items currently in its inventory. The older equipment will be retired and no longer used, police officials said.
The purchase request includes four new upgraded model drones to replace the department’s 12 drones and up to 16 less-lethal 40-millimeter launchers to replace the inventory’s current bean bag shotguns. The 40LMTS is a tactical single-shot launcher utilizing kinetic energy capable of firing non-fatal projectiles.
“This department is committed to reducing the potential for violent confrontations. Kinetic energy projectiles, when used properly, are less likely to result in death or serious physical injury and can be used in an attempt to de–escalate a potentially deadly situation,” the inventory description reads.
The request also included exchanging the SWAT team’s current rifles for a smaller caliber platform to reduce ammunition costs.
Carlsbad police Lt. Ryan Opeka, a military equipment coordinator, also noted the police department was awarded a grant for a new Lenco BearCat armored vehicle, but that purchase wouldn’t happen for several more years.
Carlsbad police also requested a policy change that would add language allowing the police department to purchase additional items that the City Council has already approved if inventory expansion is necessary.
“It would bring us into alignment with other agencies,” Opeka said.
Assembly Bill 481, which went into effect in 2022, requires law enforcement agencies to develop policies and include an inventory of their military-grade equipment. Under state law, police agencies must provide information through an annual report to their respective city councils regarding the purchase, use and funding source of equipment that falls under the military-grade classification.
A governing body then decides whether to approve or deny the report based on the department’s compliance. This will be the third time the Carlsbad City Council has approved the police department’s annual military equipment inventory review.
The annual report also reviewed what its military equipment inventory includes and what it’s used for:
- Technology, including drones and other camera platforms, provides real-time information and improves decision in situations like searching for a suspect or engaging a hostile person;
- Less lethal equipment to provide alternatives to resolving volatile encounters with suspects who could be armed;
- Police officers carry firearms, including rifles and other alternatives to traditional pistols. Opeka said all officers are given extensive training to operate firearms;
- Chemical agents, which are typically saved as a last resort,
- Breaching equipment to gain and secure locations;
- The department has several vehicles, including a Lenco BearCat, a SWAT ambulance and a command post, which are often used during large community events and high-risk operations.
According to Opeka, there were 23 SWAT missions in 2023, separate from day-to-day field implementation. Nine of these were high-risk, four were critical incidents, one was a two-day dignitary protection mission assisting First Lady Jill Biden while she stayed in Carlsbad, and nine were pre-staged for quick reaction time at events like the street fair or high school graduations.
The SWAT team controls most (83%) of the police department’s military equipment. Overall, 53 separate items are in the department’s military equipment inventory, only seven of which are used outside the SWAT team.
The department also deployed 168 drones during missions, including open-area searches, high-risk contacts, missing person searches and assisting other agencies.
The department did not receive any complaints, both internally and externally, regarding its military equipment inventory last year. While this is good news, Opeka cautioned that the department does not take it lightly.
“We’re constantly looking at ways to improve and seeking that improvement,” he said.
Mayor Keith Blackburn praised Opeka for his work on the report.
“It means you did a good job when there’s not a single question or comment, and you got a 5-0 vote,” Blackburn said.
