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FILE ART – Oakland police officers downtown. April 26, 2023

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Police Department bought three types of military-grade assault rifles without the approval of the police commission or the city council, a violation of state law, KTVU has learned.

No approval for military-grade assault rifles

Community activists John Linsday-Poland and Jennifer Tu made the discovery by reading the annual 2024 OPD military use equipment report, and cross-referencing the purchases of these three brands of AR-15s – Seekins, Daniel Defense and Mega Arms — to commission and council meetings. 

The two said they found no evidence of those military-grade weapons being OK’d. A search of Oakland city records by KTVU also showed no mention of these brands in any formal agenda dating back to 2022. 

In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 481, which mandates that police departments in California must seek and get approval for, as well as report on, the use of military equipment, and do so every year. Oakland has its own rule, which mirrors state policy, and also includes crowd-control equipment, such as riot batons and shields. 

“The Oakland Police Department acquired assault rifles without approval as required by state law,” Lindsay-Poland said. “And they’re now trying to get more rifles, more drones, more armored vehicles. And the council should not certify that.”

In addition, Lindsay-Poland said:  “As a result, no one knows just how many assault rifles Oakland PD owns.” 

He and Tu gave input to the Oakland Police Commission’s Militarized Equipment Ad Hoc Committee, which is recommending to the entire commission on Thursday that Oakland police not be able to purchase any new military-grade gear in the next year, unless that equipment is replacing retired or decommissioned weapons. 

Lindsay-Poland and Tu are also members of the American Friends Service Committee, which is a Quaker-founded group working for peace and social justice, who also note that currently violent crime is down in Oakland. 

The timing for Lindsay-Poland also seems off.

He said that Oakland is currently seeing a drop in violent and property crimes.

“And so acquiring more assault rifles makes no sense, especially when the city is also in a fiscal crisis,” he said. 

3 models of assault rifles 

The 57-page 2024 OPD military use report that was submitted to the Oakland Police Commission references 15 Seekins AR-10s in OPD’s inventory, which is one type of rifle that never got approval, records show.

The report also states that officers deployed two other models of assault rifles not listed in its inventory — Daniel Defense AR-15s and Mega Arms AR-15s. 

But the report doesn’t state how many Daniel Defense or Mega Arms rifles Oakland police own. 

None of these weapons are referenced in OPD’s 2022 or 2023 reports, indicating that they are new purchases in 2024, Lindsay-Poland said. 

Counting both these weapons and four other types of assault rifles, OPD deployed such rifles more than 160 times in 2024, according to the annual military use report. 

So far, there have been no repercussions for these non-approved purchases.

Specialized rifles displayed at a July 21, 2025 OPD Militarized Equipment Town Hall via YouTube

OPD: ‘Essential tools’ 

KTVU sent OPD an email seeking comment about not getting approval for these military-grade weapons last week, but the department has not responded for comment or clarification. 

However, in the preface to the 2024 military use report, the department said that it is committed to providing the “highest quality of services to the communities” of Oakland, and the equipment listed in the annual report are “essential tools that may be required from time to time to aid in deescalating intense situations or bringing critical incidents to a safe resolution.” 

The statement from OPD also states that “being transparent with our communities…not only helps with transparency but helps build trust within the communities we serve.” 

This issue was discussed at a community engagement meeting about OPD’s use of militarized equipment at the 81st Avenue Branch library on July 16, which was covered by Bay Area Current. 

About two dozen community members came. 

During the meeting, Lieutenant Omar Daza-Quiroz, Lieutenant Eriberto Perez-Angeles, and Sergeant Patrick Gonzales all insisted the department still needs the rifles, Bay Area Current reported.

OPD is seeking to retire its Bearcat and replace with armored suburbans. Photo: 2024 Military use report

75 new assault rifles

At the same time, Oakland police are seeking the approval from both the police commission, and eventually the city council, to buy 75 new Bravo assault rifles and expand the number of drones, armored vehicles, rubber bullets and chemical agents, according to the annual military use report. 

At a meeting on Sept. 2, Oakland Police Lt. William Febel told the Militarized Equipment Ad Hoc Committee that OPD currently has 70 assault rifles, which are more than 10 years old and are at the end of their “barrel life.” 

Lindsey-Poland is open to replacing any old gear.

But he is urging city leaders not to let OPD buy new, additional military-grade equipment. 

“The department’s failure to obtain approval for an unknown number of assault rifles that it owns and uses is deeply concerning, and reflects poorly on its credibility,” he said.

OPD’s aging Bearcat 

Meanwhile, OPD’s 2008 Bearcat — an armored military vehicle that looks like an Army tank – is now nearly 20 years old, and it is unclear if the department will be getting a new one. 

OPD wants two new Bearcats and a new armored suburban. 

But community members have long decried the use of the Bearcat, saying that the military-looking tanks traumatize people, especially Black and brown communities, when used in residential settings. 

By contrast, police have argued that the Bearcat protects them from bullets in dangerous situations.  

It’s not clear how the commission and the city council will vote on the Bearcat issue. 

Oakland Police Department