This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
Did you know that police tools like less-lethal weapons, flying camera drones and non-standard semi automatic rifles are subject to public oversight in California, even for campus police departments at colleges and universities?
In fact, according to state law, the only way that a law enforcement agency can use military-grade equipment is after a governing body determines – at a public meeting – that there is no other reasonable way to uphold civilian safety. This requirement, along with stringent transparency rules, took effect in 2022 after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 481.
CalMatters investigated whether this transparency law has been followed by police at the state’s three public higher education systems. The results showed that while some colleges are up-front about what equipment they have and how often they use it, others are lacking key documents detailing their arsenals.
Student reporters can use these guidelines to take the next step: Reporting on how transparent your campus is about its military equipment.
If your school’s police department, or local police department if your college contracts out for law enforcement services, has a website, that’s the perfect place to start. See if there’s a section labelled “Transparency,” “Reports,” “Military Equipment” or “Assembly Bill 481.” Check for two crucial documents:
- An annual military equipment report
- A military equipment use policy
Colleges are required to post both documents online if campus police use any of the 15 types of military equipment described in AB 481. The annual report should contain an up-to-date inventory, summary of when the equipment was used that year, and a record of all complaints filed. The policy should describe the equipment in greater detail, including all authorized circumstances for when police can use the items, how much they cost and what training is needed to use them.
These two documents must be reviewed every year by the governing body that supervises the police department, which are the Board of Trustees for the California State University system, the Board of Regents for the University of California system, and individual district or college boards for the California Community Colleges.
After looking for those documents, here are the fundamental questions we asked during our investigation, and the questions we recommend student reporters start with when reporting on military equipment transparency on their own campus:
1. Are these documents publicly available?
Missing the annual report and policy or not posting them online violates state law.
If you cannot find the documents online and you believe police on your campus might still be using military equipment, you can ask the department for the report and policy directly. Campus police officials might attempt to direct you to file a California Public Records Act request, in which case you can remind them that by state law, the documents must be posted publicly anyway.
2. Have these documents been properly reviewed in the last year?
Not reviewing the policy each year or doing it privately instead of publicly violates state law.
Not only must the report and policy be posted online, the campus police department’s governing body has to review and approve the policy at a public meeting, with the ability for public comment, at least once a year. The police department has to send the report to that governing body each year as well. Equipment can only be approved if it meets certain criteria.
Archived meeting agendas and minutes should include a review of the policy at least annually. If they do not, you can ask the governing body about it.
3. Are the documents complete?
Listing incomplete information in the policy or report violates state law.
AB 481 lays out strict requirements for what the report and policy must contain at a minimum. According to CalMatters’ analysis, many of the 2025 reports were missing inventory quantities, annual costs, and the purpose of equipment deployments. Many policies lacked manufacturers’ descriptions, intended purposes, training requirements and avenues to file complaints.
Another factor to check is whether all the equipment types documented in the report are also listed in the policy. Any discrepancy is something to look into.
4. Does campus police hold an annual community engagement meeting?
Not holding an annual public forum or publicizing it properly violates state law.
Within 30 days of publicly releasing the annual report, campus police are legally required to host a community forum for the general public to discuss and ask questions about the equipment. It must be a conveniently located and well-publicized event.
If it’s not described on the police department’s website or social media accounts, you can ask them directly whether they held a meeting, how they publicized it, and what the turnout was. Fact-check any claims they make about publicizing the meeting by looking for direct evidence. You can keep an eye out for the next meeting, too.
5. What do students and faculty think about military equipment?
This is where your campus-specific expertise comes in.
Have any students or faculty expressed strong opinions in support of or against military equipment, either at the annual forum or at meetings when policies get approved?
Are there any professors at your school who research military equipment or police transparency?
Have any student clubs taken stances on military equipment or led movements for or against it, like at UCLA and Mt. San Antonio College?
If the annual report lists incidents or events where equipment was deployed, find out if students were there and what they thought about it.
If your student news organization reports on military equipment at your campus using our guide, please let us know. We will add a link to your story here for others to see. Email the College Journalism Network at cjn@calmatters.org.
Phoebe Huss is a contributor with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.
