Los Altos City Council reviewed and unanimously renewed the Los Altos Police Department’s Military Equipment Policy Ordinance, Assembly Bill (AB) 481, during last week’s City Council meeting.
AB 481, signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, requires local law enforcement agencies to define and request military funding, acquisition and use from the appropriate governing body – in this case, the Los Altos City Council.
Among other requirements, including community-informed meetings prior to the presentation of a law enforcement agency’s military funding, acquisition and use policy, AB 481 also requires City Council to review the ordinance annually and either approve or deny renewals.
While there were no substantial changes to the ordinance, requests presented by Los Altos Police Captain Katie Krauss during the March 10 council meeting included the acquisition of a ReconRobotics Throwbot 2; the Throwbot – as the name suggests – is a throwable micro-robot that allows for operators to remotely see and hear wherever deployed. The robot can move through the structure or area and transmit real-time audio and video.
“They’re typically only going to be used by our air SWAT team,” Krauss said during the meeting. “Mostly it’s going to be used for barricaded subject situations or maybe hostages.”
The Throwbot2 costs $19,225, and it’s funded by the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (COPS Grant).
Other changes included the removal of less lethal shotguns used for chemical agent deployment (decreasing the number of shotguns from 11 to one) and less lethal shotgun rounds for shotguns that are no longer included in the department’s inventory. The Benelli M3 12-gauge shotgun is also no longer used.
As the police department also phases out Colt rifles – which the department acquired in 2003 and are nearing the end of their lives – for newer Daniel Defense Rifles, Councilmember Larry Lang was concerned about where the old rifles would end up.
“When we do a replacement of weapons systems, what we do is we trade them into L C Action, which is a gun dealership that works with law enforcement down in San Jose,” Krauss explained to Lang. L C Action is an authorized firearm dealership and police supply store. She said that whatever they trade in provides the department money for future gear and firearm purchases, and the firearms may be sold to other agencies either as complete units or just parts.
Replacement requests included increasing .223 ammunition to 42,000 rounds and .308 ammunition to 3,300 rounds.
“In the past there has been a shortage of .223 ammunition, so we didn’t ask for a great amount (previously). That shortage has now passed and .223 ammunition is available, so we would like to increase our allotment at a maximum of 42,000,” Krauss said. “The .308 ammunition, currently we have around 3,000 rounds that have been authorized. We would like to increase that to 3,300 rounds, so a slight increase there.”
The department also requested the removal of ammunition brand designations – currently, the department is limited to one specific brand that offers .308 ammunition. Krauss said the brand is often unavailable. The removal of the brand designation would allow .308 ammunition to be purchased regardless of brand.
Annual review
AB 481 requires an annual review of military equipment use. Military equipment was only used 17 times between April and December 2025, according to the written AB 481 report the Los Altos Police Department was required to provide to the City Council.
The only equipment used in those 17 instances were the department’s Unmanned Aerial System, or drones. Drones, approved for police department use last April, were used four times to assist outside agencies, three times for demonstration or public events, two times for burglaries in progress, and once each in cases including:
• An at-risk missing person
• Auto burglary in progress
• City inspection of a roof
• Bank hold-up alarm
• In-progress trespass
• Structure fire
• Suspect fleeing lawful detention
• Vehicle collision
Krauss said that the police department did not receive any complaints related to its use of military equipment and an audit concluded no policy violations in military equipment use.
The estimated annual cost for the department’s current military equipment inventory is $4,800, including replacement, cleaning and inspection costs. The total annual cost for training of officers for military equipment use was estimated at $318,851.
“I’m very supportive of the training,” Lang told Krauss. “The equipment doesn’t keep us safe, well-trained officers with equipment keep us safe. It’s a worthwhile investment.”
To view the Los Altos Police Department’s AB 481 Annual Report, visit tinyurl.com/LosAltosPDAB481.
