Good afternoon, Redwood City!
Big guns
Last week, San Francisco lawmakers got some heat for passing a very controversial change to the police department’s policy. In a majority vote, the Board approved the city’s police to kill suspects with unmanned robots. A week later, after much public outcry, the same lawmakers reversed their decision.
So, why did the Board of Supervisors get a say in this to begin with?
Well, it all comes down to a new state law, Assembly Bill 481, that was signed by Gov. Newsom last fall. The bill seeks to regulate the so-called “military equipment” owned by law enforcement throughout California by requiring all agencies to report on what they have, how they acquired it and how they use it.
When we found out about this new law, we wondered: What kinds of equipment are in our local arsenals? Where did it come from? How much did it cost? What is it used for? What even is military equipment?
The fruits of this investigation will be available to you tomorrow, when we publish our deeply researched report on military equipment owned by our local cities and counties. Stay tuned!
Your reporter,
Leah
Photo of the Day Caption: Fall foliage in Redwood City. Photo by Leah Worthington. | To have your photo featured, send us an email.
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