Wednesday, March 25, marked the first time the Fresno Police Department had hosted a dedicated public meeting about how it uses its military equipment since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 481<\/a> into law in 2022.<\/p>\n Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto told councilmembers last Thursday that the department plans to implement many of the more \u201creasonable\u201d requests from the public. She told GV Wire after the meeting that the department also needs to weigh whether disclosing information in some instances violates citizen privacy rights or jeopardizes ongoing investigations.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m already having some ideas on some of the concerns about where the equipment is used and some of the ways we can address that without making it an onerous burden exceeding the requirements of the law,\u201d Casto said at the meeting. \u201cBut we can certainly do more if that\u2019s what the community is asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n Arieana Castellanos, a mental health professional and member of the group Fresnans for the People\u2019s Budget, told GV Wire she hoped the reforms Casto spoke about would be implemented by now. She said the city council rushed in approving the report.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to making sure that police are accountable to following what\u2019s in the law, then the community members and the elected officials are really the enforcement mechanisms to ensure that,\u201d Castellanos said. \u201cI think there has been a culture in city council and the police department of not being transparent and that has resulted in some fiscal blunders.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Richardson Didn\u2019t Get the Info He Wanted<\/p>\n Police held the community meeting the day before the council meeting to approve the report.<\/p>\n Councilmember Nick Richardson told GV Wire that he expected the police department to give councilmembers a report on the public meeting \u2014 what people wanted, how police would forward, ahead of the council hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were supposed to be presented a report or given some digest of the public comment meeting beforehand and we weren\u2019t provided that so right there, that was reason enough for me to vote \u2018no,\u2019 \u201d Richardson said.<\/p>\n He said he mistakenly voted to approve the report because he was distracted. Richardson said he then went to City Attorney Andrew Janz about amending his vote but wasn\u2019t allowed. Councilmembers approved the report 7-0.<\/p>\n In previous years, the report has been on the council\u2019s consent agenda, meaning that if a councilmember did not choose to discuss it, it would have been approved along with the city\u2019s regular business.<\/p>\n After hearing complaints from the public, Casto told councilmembers they chose to meet separately. GV Wire did not receive notice of the meeting but heard from multiple sources that about 20 to 40 people attended.<\/p>\n Deputy Chief Burke Farrah told councilmembers that they heard complaints about noticing and more details about reporting that police will consider adding in future reports. He also said that residents volunteered to help with publicizing the department\u2019s required public meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we heard from our community was that while some of them had philosophical concerns about military equipment in general, we didn\u2019t hear a lot of specifics,\u201d Farrah said.<\/p>\n The report details how many times the department\u2019s robots, drones, armored vehicles, command centers, rifles, and less-than-lethal weaponry were used and how much they cost in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cWas (military equipment) used for civil unrest? Was it used for suspect apprehension? Was it used because there\u2019s a barricaded individual? What are the circumstances?\u201d \u2014 Fresno resident Arieana Castellanos \u00a0<\/p>\n The bomb defusal robot, at an initial cost of $350,000 with a $4,000 annual maintenance cost, was used once in 2025.<\/p>\n Two of the department\u2019s armored rescue vehicles were used 16 times, the report states. The department\u2019s various drones were used 293 times in 2025. And the SWAT truck got called into service 14 times.<\/p>\n The two kinds of 40 mm launchers were together used 26 times, and less-than-lethal beanbag shotguns \u2014 which cost $170,000 for 315 \u2014 were used five times. Rifles were used twice and flash bangs were used three times.<\/p>\n Farrah likened it to having a fire extinguisher in his house, saying he\u2019d rather have it and not need it.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a fire extinguisher in my home and I didn\u2019t use it last year,\u201d Farrah said.<\/p>\n Castellanos, however, said the report didn\u2019t go far enough. She wanted to see details that other police departments provide.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a summary of how the equipment is authorized to be used, right? How it could potentially be used, but not how it was actually used,\u201d Castellanos said. \u201cWas it used for civil unrest? Was it used for suspect apprehension? Was it used because there\u2019s a barricaded individual? What are the circumstances?\u201d<\/p>\n The Long Beach Police Department<\/a> and Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a> detail whether equipment gets used for surveillance, apprehension, crowd control, or search and rescue.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GVWire-Ad-Get-our-mobile-app-1280x90-1-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MRAP-Armored-Personnel-Carrier-Category-2.jpg\")
Armored vehicles such as the MRAP Armored Personnel Carrier were used 16 times in 2025. (City of Fresno)
\nReport Details How Often Equipment Used, Not Much Else<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Remington-870-12-gauge-shotgun-dedicated-Less-Lethal-bean-bag-Munition-Category-14.jpg\")
Police spent $170,000 on 315 Remington 870 12-gauge shotguns dedicated for less-than-lethal bean bag munitions. Police used them five times in 2025. (City of Fresno)
\nState Legal Analysis Requires Details on Where Equipment Is Used. Police Disagree<\/p>\n