Anyone living in East County wondering under what circumstances they would see a belt powered machine gun atop a local law enforcement vehicle may find an answer at a planned community meeting next week.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Department is hosting an April 24 forum in which they will discuss and explain their purchase of military equipment. The outreach is a result of AB-481.
The state law increases “transparency and accountability for the funding, acquisition and use of military equipment by state and local law enforcement agencies,” according to the Sheriff’s Department. The law also requires law enforcement agencies to publish an annual report detailing the specific cost and use of the equipment for the previous year.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Department submitted their report to the County Board of Supervisors April 4.
The report is also posted in their website at sdsheriff.org/resources/open-data.
Among the purchased items in the inventory are:
• Three commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones, that can fly, hover, broadcast video, record video, and photograph at a cost of $2,496.
• Eleven tactical reconnaissance robots used for surveying potentially hazardous situations for tactical scouting in which there may be a barricaded suspect, costing $15,500.
• One FN M240 Machine Gun 7.62mm which can be mounted to the turret of an armored vehicle “to defend against an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death.” Purchased in 2008, the weapon cost $21,109.
The public meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. April 24 at the County Operations Center Campus Center Chambers, 5520 Overland Ave. in San Diego.
