ESCONDIDO — The city has once again approved the Police Department’s military equipment inventory report, complying with a statewide mandate now in its fifth year.
Each year, police departments across the state must seek approval from their elected governing bodies to fund, acquire and use “military equipment” as defined by Assembly Bill 481, a state law signed by the governor in 2021 that took effect the following year.
The law requires the Escondido Police Department to develop a military equipment use policy, report annually to the City Council, maintain a catalog of its military equipment, track complaints related to the equipment and be as transparent as possible with the community.
The Oceanside Police Department approved its military equipment report and inventory earlier this summer.
Although the law defines the items as “military equipment,” police leaders cautioned that the equipment is essential for fighting crime and protecting the public.
“Although the law uses the term ‘military equipment,’ many of these tools are specialized public safety resources used to resolve critical incidents while reducing risk to the community members, officers and suspects,” said Capt. Erik Witholt of the Escondido Police Department.
Witholt explained that the department purchases the equipment “with careful consideration and intention” and uses it only when “no reasonable alternative” can protect both officers and civilians.
The department’s military equipment list includes:
- Drones
- A “robotic platform,” consisting of a micro robot with video and camera feeds
- Incident command vehicles
- Armored personnel carriers
- Breaching equipment
- Patrol and SWAT rifles
- Flashbangs in both shotgun- and hand-deployed forms
- A long-range acoustic device
- 40-millimeter launchers
- Chemical agents, including tear gas and pepper balls
The department does not have mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles or MRAPs; Humvees; tracked armored vehicles; weaponized aircraft, vessels or vehicles; firearms or ammunition of .50 caliber or greater; or firearms designed to launch explosive devices.
One change to this year’s inventory was the department’s switch from Sabre-brand pepper balls to the PepperBall brand.
In 2025, the Police Department used drones for 225 mission flights, totaling 53.08 hours of flight time. The department also used its incident command vehicles 10 times, its armored personnel carrier three to six times per month, breaching equipment five times, flashbangs 15 times, patrol and SWAT rifles once, 40-millimeter launchers 16 times and chemical agents three times.
Witholt said the department received no complaints about the use of items listed in the military equipment inventory.
The micro robot and long-range acoustic device were the only two items that were not used last year.
Escondido City Council members said they were satisfied with the report and pleased with the department’s efforts to be transparent with the public about its equipment. Some noted how the equipment has helped the city.
Deputy Mayor Joe Garcia recalled how the department used a drone to find a young girl who became separated from her parents during the city’s Fourth of July celebration, which drew a large crowd to the area around Grape Day Park.
“What a wonderful way to use the tools that our city has for the police department,” he said.
Council members also noted the lack of public speakers on the subject this year compared with previous years, attributing it to increased public trust in the city’s Police Department.
