Chico City Council set to hear police military equipment report

CHICO, Calif. — The Chico City Council is expected to hear a report from Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge on the department's use of military equipment.

Aldridge's report covers a variety of equipment like rifles and armored vehicles.

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The department's Bearcat G2 was used a total of eight times last year, mainly during SWAT calls.

Speaking to KRCR last month, Aldridge said he believes the term "military equipment" is misleading, as it could evoke more violent images among some people.

"It's not military property. It's not the things that only are used in military environments. These are things that we use every day in other types of business around the world," Aldridge said. He cites drones being used in the agricultural sector. The Chico Police Department (CPD) used drones a total of 106 times in the last year, according to the report.

"I want the public to see that we have this gear in place that actually helps us reduce the likelihood of force, lethal force in a situation and a lot of this stuff helps us to de-escalate," he said.

State lawmakers passed AB 481 in 2021. It requires all state law enforcement agencies to get approval from a governing body before it uses or acquires military equipment. The National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) says having a law like this in place is a positive development but they underscore the need for de-escalation training instead of making investments into military equipment.

"It doesn't necessarily have to come from the department of defense to be a militarized weapon," saidEliana Machefsky, public interest legal fellow for NPAP. "I think part of what that term gets at is how we are training police officers to act as kind of as warriors...we’re not focusing on training de-escalation and we see the results of that: a police force that sees themselves at war with civilians."

The Chico Police Department provided a statement to KRCR Monday:

At the Chico Police Department, we prioritize the safety of both community members and our officers. The military equipment acquired by our department is only used as a resource in situations where community and officer safety are at risk. Our priority is always to de-escalate situations and ensure a peaceful resolution whenever possible. We recognize that effective de-escalation techniques are critical in providing a safe and secure environment for all community members and reduces the risk of harm to all involved. We highly encourage our community to read our full Annual Military Equipment Use Report on our website. Anyone with complaints or concerns can email cpdpsu@chicoca.gov, call (530)897-5851, send mail to 1460 Humboldt Rd., or come in to file a complaint.

The department plans to hold a community engagement meeting on the report April 27 at 6 p.m. at the City of Chico council chambers at 421 Main Street.

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