The Brief
- The Oakland Police Department bought three brands of assault rifles, which are considered military equipment, without the approval of the police commission or the city council, KTVU has learned.
- State law requires California police agencies to list, request and report on the military-use weaponry they buy and own.
- OPD wants to buy 75 new assault rifles; and a committee is recommending against it.
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Police Department bought three brands of assault rifles, which are considered military equipment, without the approval of the police commission or the city council, which state law requires, KTVU has learned.
No approval for military-grade assault rifles
Community activists John Linsday-Poland and Jennifer Tu made the discovery by reading the annual 2024 OPD military use equipment report, and cross-referencing the purchases of these three brands of AR-15s – Seekins, Daniel Defense and Mega Arms — to commission and council meetings.
The two said they found no evidence of those military-grade weapons being OK’d. A search of Oakland city records by KTVU also showed no mention of these brands in any formal agenda dating back to 2022.
In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 481, which mandates that police departments in California must seek and get approval for, as well as report on, the use of military equipment, and do so every year. Oakland has its own rule, which mirrors state policy, and also includes crowd-control equipment, such as riot batons and shields. …