Breaking News:
Emeryville Police Attempt Carve Out Exemption for Arsenal of Military Assault Rifles
Emeryville Stands Alone Among Bay Area Police Departments
AR-15 Rifles at Neighboring Police Departments Voluntarily Regulated By AB-481
The Emeryville Police Department last week unceremoniously dumped its arsenal of military style chemical agent launchers and issued a letter of disclosure to the City Council of its stockpile of military weapons of war in order to comply with California Assembly Bill 481, the Tattler has learned. The department however is reserving the right to continue to carry the AR-15 military assault rifles as it has, regardless of the provisions of AB 481 (which normally requires police departments to declare them and submit a use policy for them) using a controversial claim that the assault rifles are “standard issue” and therefore beyond the reach of the State's regulation. The City Council will meet and discuss the issue at its Tuesday meeting.
Emeryville Police Department stands alone among police departments in the Bay Area with the claim about its AR-15 arsenal according to John Lindsay-Poland, the co-director of the American Friends Service Committee’s California Healing Justice program. All the other police departments are not making such a claim and their department issued AR-15 rifles are consequentially falling under the regulatory provisions of AB 481, Mr Lindsay-Poland told the Tattler.
The purpose of the assembly bill, signed into law on September 30, 2021, is to require the police department to obtain the approval of the City Council before taking actions relating to the funding, acquisition, or use of military equipment.
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| The issuance of AR-15 assault rifles among some police departments like EPD have contributed to a culture of militarization in recent years. |
AB 481 was authored by Assembly member David Chiu (D-San Francisco). It was written to have the effect to reduce the amount of military equipment and weapons of war in California police departments. The jettisoning of Emeryville’s military chemical agent launchers last week just before Tuesday’s letter to the City Council is testimony to the bill's reach. But the claims of compliance with AB 481 made by EPD regarding its stockpile of the AR-15 military assault rifles will have to be quantified according to the new law. A strenuous policy of transparency and accountability to citizen complainants provided in the bill means the department may end up reclassifying the guns to match neighboring police departments.
The legislature of the State of California has defined the AR-15 as military equipment and an assault rifle
The American Friends Service Committee, founded in 1917, is a Religious Society of Friends (the 'Quakers') founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world.
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| Military CS Gas Launcher Emeryville Police finally gave up these weapons of war last week because of AB 481. |
In anticipation of Tuesday’s meeting, the City staff says AB 481 requires that law enforcement agencies seeking to continue the use of any Military Equipment must commence the approval process for the Policy by May 1, 2022. They are recommending waiving the first reading of and introducing an ordinance adopting Emeryville Police Department Policy 707: Military Equipment. The second reading and formal adoption of the ordinance will not be scheduled until the relinquishment of the military chemical launcher equipment is verified as complete.
The Emeryville police thought is was great having the CS gas launchers. Now they don't think it's so good anymore. You should ask them why they changed their minds all of a sudden.
ReplyDeleteThanks to buttinski's like you Brian, when Putin invades Emeryville, the local gendarmes will be powerless to stop Russian armored units or the feared Wagner group mercenaries.
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeleteBy all means, let’s take away a vital tool that allows an officer to shoot more accurately from a longer distance. A tool by the way which can only be used in defense of themselves or others against death or great bodily injury. Does Brian not remember the North Hollywood shootout of 1997? Cops were grossly outgunned under heavy fire from crooks wearing body armor carrying rifles. Officers had to break into neighboring gun stores to commandeer weapons just to keep up. Rifles are are good thing!!
ReplyDeleteCriminals now have tank busting 50 caliber rifles. So our police officers need to carry them as well, right? Next come RPG launchers. RPG launchers are super accurate.
DeleteThat’s a bit of a stretch Brian. Let’s be realistic. But shouldn’t our police be prepared to handle a variety of dangerous confrontations?
DeleteYes....with RPG launchers. They're the weapons of police everywhere starting next year. This is the realism of matching firepower and letting criminals set municipal use of force policy.
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