Hana Tobias
During a closed-door meeting at UCLA on Sept. 17, the University of California Board of Regents’ Compliance and Audit Committee unanimously approved the UC San Diego Police Department’s request to purchase military equipment. The purchase includes two “unmanned aerial vehicles/systems (drones)” and 5,000 rounds of 5.56 patrol lethal rifle ammunition.
Per California law AB 481, which was passed in 2021, any state law enforcement agency must detail all inventory of military equipment and any planned purchases during an open meeting. The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act in AB 481 details that “the state body may clear the whole meeting room” in the case of disruption, and “after clearing the room, the state body may set up a process for readmitting persons.”
According to the Los Angeles Public Press, individuals who came to provide public comments at the meeting were met with UCLA police officers in riot gear, forcing them to leave the building. They were not readmittted.
The UC Compliance and Audit Committee is responsible for providing direction and oversight to presidential policy, investigatory services, auditing, and resources to optimize compliant behavior. The UCSD Guardian reached out to UCSD University Communications for comment regarding why UC Regents’ discussion and vote were not open to the public.
“Whether to open or close a meeting is at the discretion for the Board of Regents, and we cannot provide any insight into their decisions,” its email statement read.
AB 481 requires police departments to publicly disclose and seek approval from “a governing body” for ordering and the use of military equipment. Police departments across California are required per AB 481 to report inventory and planned acquisitions of military equipment; several law enforcement departments in San Diego — California Highway Patrol, San Diego Police Department, and San Diego Sheriff’s Department — have reported purchasing additional drones and less-lethal firearms and ammunition in 2025.
On Thursday, Oct. 16, the UCSD Police Department held a presentation and Q&A session for students and staff about police equipment that falls under the military equipment description per AB 481. The police department announced the event on its website; it was not publicized elsewhere.
The UC Council of Chiefs of Police’s AB 481 report, which requires departments to disclose any public concerns, states that the UCSD Police Department has not received any “complaints or concerns during the fiscal year regarding the purchase or use of military equipment or the military equipment policy” and that “all campuses conducted audits of their military equipment and there were no violations of the policy found.”
Earlier this fiscal year, the regents approved UCSD’s request for three Def-Tec 40 mm launchers — specially designed for law enforcement, corrections, and military personnel — at a total cost of $5,190. Def-Tec launchers, which are described as a “less-lethal” weapon by the manufacturer, fire foam, powder, and chemical agent projectiles. They are designed to be used in combat and to disperse crowds.
The 2025 UCPD annual report on military equipment shows that the newly approved rifle ammunition will cost $3,300. The UCSD Police Department is coordinating its “unmanned aerial vehicles/systems” purchase with other campuses — UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, and UC San Francisco — who are seeking a systemwide contract for this equipment.
The UCSD Police Department’s current stockpile of military equipment includes 61 rifles, 5,500 rifle ammunition, 865 chemical agent devices, 15 less-lethal weapons, and 198 less-lethal projectiles. UCPD reports from 2023, 2024, and 2025 cite that the equipment has only been used for training by the UCSD Police Department within the last three years.
Five UC campuses — UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UCSD, and UCSF — have submitted formal requests for new military equipment this fiscal year, as of Oct. 19. UCSD, UCSB, UC Merced, UCLA, and UC Irvine are all requesting less-lethal launchers or projectiles. UC Irvine also requested a long-range acoustic device, which is a specialized loudspeaker used to project sounds and messages over long distances.
Students and community members have since criticized the regents’ decisions, expressing concerns regarding police militarization and the use of excessive equipment to respond to student protests.
In a written statement to The Guardian, Associated Students President William Simpson said:
“Associated Students believe these purchases are harmful as well as unproductive. Aside from the preexisting risk of supplying an immense amount of dangerous weapons, A.S. is concerned about the fiscal cost. We believe there is a much better allocation for the funds. Additionally, A.S. would promote that the school would’ve dispersed the money back to student programs, rather than the UCPD.”