Help end state violence in California's prisons and jails

State law AB 481 requires every law enforcement agency and state agency in California to publish policies for each type of military equipment the agencies possess. That includes quantities of these weapons and policies for authorized use that safeguard civil liberties.

Take action today to urge the California Department of Justice issue guidance to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and county sheriffs to comply with state law for law enforcement use of military equipment. (See AFSC's new report on state violence in California's prisons and jails.)

Disclosure of the quantity of each type of military equipment owned by any agency is a critical measure of the extent of its militarization. It is also central to the transparency that AB 481 requires. CDCR has used chemical agents and impact projectiles hundreds of times per month, according to its public reports. 

Yet CDCR and several county sheriffs have failed to disclose quantities of military equipment the agency possesses. Take action! Tell California Attorney General Rob Bonta to instruct CDCR and county sheriffs to comply with AB 481’s requirements to disclose quantities of each type of military equipment possessed or proposed for acquisition by the agency.