Military Equipment Use Reports
This annual report provides the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors a comprehensive overview of Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff’s military equipment and usage. The format of this report was crafted in a manner that conforms to California Government Code section 7072(a) to include the following information for the reporting period of April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025:
Statistics/Uses: During this reporting period, the Law Enforcement Bureau responded to approximately 131,949 incidents through a combination of calls for service by the community and proactive law enforcement. There were one hundred and twenty-two (122) uses or deployments, including unmanned aerial systems, across all approved equipment categories during this reporting period. The Custody Bureau had thirty-eight (38) uses across all approved equipment categories in both facilities combined during this reporting period. These uses should be considered with staff running a 24/7 operation with an average daily population of approximately 2,814 incarcerated individuals and a total of 33,220 custody bookings during this reporting period. The Office of the Sheriff's reserve deputies employed by the Stanford Department of Public Safety did not have any deployments across all approved categories of military equipment.
Audits/Transparency: All uses of this equipment were audited to include report and body worn camera reviews to ensure adherence to policy. There were no Internal Affairs complaints about military equipment useage during this reporting period. As a result of internal audits, corrective action was taken on one (1) incident for improper deployment of a diversionary device and five (5) deployments of MK-9 based on distance, duration, or selection.
Analysis: Considering the addition of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and pepperball, the Office of the Sheriff expected an increase in the military equipment usage within the Enforcement Bureau. Excluding UAS deployments, overall military equipment useage increased by one (1) use compared to the previous reporting period. The military equipment usage by the Office of the Sheriff’s staff was still low considering an increase of over 12,000 calls for service and proactive law enforcement from the previous reporting period. Of note in the Custody Bureau, the usage of the MK-9 was down from 62 to 31 uses and the use of Clear-Out was reduced from 12 to 4 during this reporting period. This low usage rate is a direct reflection of the judiciousness of use as well as the incident intensity reduction efforts by staff. It is the position of the Office the Sheriff that equipment defined under AB 481 is vital in the resolution of critical incidents and violent confrontations to keep the public and our staff safe. We are seeking approval for three additional items to better resolve critical incidents and gain voluntary compliance of subjects. The additional equipment will improve the likelihood incidents will be resolved without the use of deadly force. The Office of the Sheriff remains committed to transparent reporting and review as well as judicious and responsible use of the equipment.
Reports
2024-2025 Military Equipment Report
2023-2024 Military Equipment Report
2023-2024 Military Equipment Report Presentation
2022-2023 Military Equipment Report
For questions related to the military equipment, please email [email protected].