Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Phoebe Huss/calmattters The Associated Press
Police forces at California’s K-12 schools have quietly been purchasing and using military equipment for decades — and some have yet to comply with a state law requiring them to disclose that to the public.
asserted
some → purchase → public
In 2014, public records revealed the Pentagon had armed California public school police agencies with surplus military gear.
asserted
Pentagon → reveal → gear
The Los Angeles School Police Department, supplied with grenade launchers, assault rifles and an armored vehicle, faced strong criticism from local civil rights groups and relinquished its federally-donated armory by 2016.
asserted
Department → supply → 2016
But beyond the Pentagon’s surplus program, law enforcement agencies including school police have the option to purchase military-grade equipment on their own.
asserted
agencies → include → own
Nine of California’s 21 public school police forces have bought their own stashes of military-grade equipment, including semi-automatic rifles, less-lethal launchers and smoke grenades.
asserted
Nine → buy → rifles
Under the state’s Penal Code, less-lethal weapons are devices meant to incapacitate or stun someone without killing them, though some of these devices have maimed and killed in the past.
asserted
some → mean → past
Five of the school police forces have not disclosed their inventory to the public this year, in spite of a 2021 state law requiring them to do so annually.
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Five → disclose → them
Two of them, at San Diego Unified School District and Montebello Unified School District, published up-to-date inventory reports after CalMatters asked for them.
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CalMatters → publish → them
The remaining two police departments, at Twin Rivers Unified and Santa Ana Unified, released reports for the first time in 2026 after owning the weapons for years.
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departments → remain → years
School districts say these weapons improve police ability to respond to critical incidents and threats, apprehend violent suspects, and help with crowd control.
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weapons → say → control
In April, Twin Rivers school police in Sacramento County brought out its military-grade patrol rifles while responding to a shooting at an out-of-district high school where a teenager was killed.
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teenager → bring → school
At that time, the police department did not have a military equipment policy in place.
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department → have → place
Some of the districts with police forces initially denied owning military equipment in response to CalMatters’ questions, but changed their answers when asked to double-check since they had policies listing the equipment.
Los Angeles School Police possess 112 semi-automatic rifles and 104 bean-bag shotguns, according to information provided by district spokesperson Christy Hagen.
uncertain
Police → deny → Hagen
Hagen did not respond when asked if they plan to report that publicly as required by the 2021 law.
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they → respond → law
“This equipment is used only in limited, high-risk situations where it is necessary to help protect students, staff, community members, and officers,” Hagen wrote in an email to CalMatters.
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Hagen → use → CalMatters
“It is deployed when needed to safely de-escalate dangerous incidents, reduce risk to everyone involved, and help bring critical situations to a safe resolution.
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It → deploy → resolution
The 2021 law does not require police to track or report non-military weapons, such as tasers and “standard issue” semi-automatic rifles.
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law → require → tasers
However, district governing boards overseeing school police can subject any additional items of their choosing to the same oversight.
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boards → govern → oversight
Some districts told CalMatters they don’t consider tasers and rifles military equipment despite listing those items as such in their policies.
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they → tell → policies
School security armed with AR-15s
The Twin Rivers Unified School District Police Department has owned military equipment for over 20 years.
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Department → arm → years
But the district’s board of trustees didn’t approve an equipment use policy until May.
uncertain
board → approve → May
District Police Chief David Lugo said at the board meeting that the policy simply brought the department into compliance with state law, rather than granting police newfound authority to be armed.
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policy → say → authority
However, state law requires a governing body’s permission if police want to use or buy military equipment.
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police → require → equipment
Permission can only be granted if the desired equipment is cost-effective, the police agency has developed an equipment policy that safeguards civil liberties, and there is no other way to maintain civilian safety.
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that → grant → safety
The policy must be approved by the same governing board before the equipment is used, re-approved at least annually, and posted online as long as the equipment is usable.
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equipment → approve → board
These requirements, and many more, took effect when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 481, which aimed to limit the “risks and impacts of police militarization,” especially in low-income and marginalized communities.
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which → take → communities
The law took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, giving police a five-month grace period to comply.
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law → take → period
The Twin Rivers district does not perceive a conflict between this law and what Lugo said at the meeting, district spokesperson Zenobia J. Gerald wrote in an email to CalMatters.
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Gerald → perceive → CalMatters
Military tools “are not used in the Department’s day-to-day support of District campuses,” Gerald wrote.
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Gerald → use → campuses
“They are only used to respond to extraordinary situations such as the presence of firearms or other serious threats on school campuses and active shooter situations.”
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They → use → campuses
Lugo did not respond to repeated interview requests.
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Lugo → respond → requests
Parents split on military equipment
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Parents → split → equipment
At Twin Rivers’ board meeting in May, 14 people used their public comment time to speak about the school police’s equipment inventory.
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people → use → inventory
Six attendees, including parents and teachers, protested the adoption of the policy.
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attendees → include → policy
The other eight commenters, all parents or local residents, spoke in strong support of the district’s military arsenals.
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commenters → speak → arsenals
Most proponents argued that student safety comes first and school police should take any means necessary to deflect a school shooter.
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police → argue → shooter
“The policy is not about militarizing our schools,” said Dianne Kieffer, a board member of a local neighborhood organization.
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Kieffer → militarize → organization
“It’s about preparedness, accountability, transparency, and making sure that the people responsible for protecting our children and our staff and our schools have clear rules, training, oversight and the proper tools if the worst day imaginable ever comes to happen.”
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day → ’ → rules
Dean Broussard, the CEO of a security services company, said taking care of the district’s children is more important than people’s personal ideas about police equipment.
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taking → say → equipment
“If the time comes, and I hope and pray it never happens, that these officers need to go into a shooting incident, and they don’t have the tools, and they call for (local police) backup, and officers are 15, 20 minutes away … that’s not good,” he said at the meeting.
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he → come → meeting
…and 45 more, not listed.
The Aporia
