August 16, 2023 - Madera County Sheriff's Office officials report that AB 481 requires law enforcement agencies to obtain the approval of its governing body to enact a military equipment use policy before purchasing, raising funds for, or acquiring military equipment. The initial policy must be passed via ordinance and renewed by a vote of the Council each year. On May 17, 2022, the Board of Supervisors for Madera County adopted Madera County Ordinance 2022-697 adopting a Military Equipment Use Policy. The law enforcement agency is required to return annually to provide an Annual Report to the governing body and the public at large on the usage of the listed equipment. The agency is also required to host a community engagement session for members of the public to attend.

On August 1, 2023, The Madera County Sheriff’s Office submitted its annual use report for 01/01/2022-12/31/2023 to the Board of Supervisors. The Board of supervisors also voted to renew County Ordinance 2022-697 at this time. The Annual Report provides the summary required by Government Code section 7072(a). The Madera County Sheriff’s Office will host a community engagement meeting to discuss the annual report on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 6:00 P.M. The location of the meeting will be at the Madera County Sheriff’s Office located at 2725 Falcon Dr. Madera CA 93637.

The annual military equipment use report and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Military Equipment Policy 706 can be found using this link, https://www.maderacounty.com/government/sheriff/ab-481.

Source: Madera County Sheriff’s Office