What the 2021 law requires
A CalMatters investigation reviewed records across all 148 campuses in the three public systems: the California Community Colleges, the University of California, and the California State University. The probe found that many campuses own military-grade weaponry including AR-15s, stun grenades designed to cause temporary blindness, and sonic weapons that resonate so loudly they are known in the armed forces as “the voice of God” — and that not every college follows every part of the law.
Under a 2021 state law, campus police can only own military equipment if the college concludes there is no other way to uphold civilian safety. The law also requires police to make all their equipment dealings “exceedingly clear” to the public.
Each campus’s state or district governing board — which authorizes police to procure such items — must annually re-approve a use policy, a chronicle of when the equipment has been used, and an inventory. Once the report is approved and published online, campus police have 30 days to hold a conveniently located and “well-publicized” forum for the public to learn about and give feedback on the equipment, according to state law.