The Modesto Police Department delivered its annual Military Equipment Use Report to the City Council on Tuesday. The presentation included a request to purchase new drones, flash-bangs, tear gas canisters, pepper balls, batons and other crowd-control equipment.
MPD’s current stock includes most of these items already, but it requested more to supplement or replace inventory. The agency listed 58 military-grade items, across six categories, on its list given to the City Council.
The agenda item for the council to accept the report was originally on the consent calendar — a list of items packaged together and voted on all at once without public discussion — but was pulled by meeting attendee Kevin McCarty…