How much money the Chico Police Department should be spending on military gear is up for debate at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Police Chief Billy Aldridge wants councilors to give the go-ahead on $1.3 million worth of equipment. The money would go toward buying drones, rifles and other gear. The big-ticket items are three incident command vehicles ranging from $355,000 to $522,000 each.
At a community forum Feb. 23, several residents expressed concerns over the equipment being used against protesters. Some brought up Minneapolis, where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in January.
But Police Chief Billy Aldridge pushed back on that idea. He said the equipment is needed for public safety and not for suppressing First Amendment rights.
Law enforcement agencies in California have been required to get approval from governing bodies like city councils to buy and use military gear since 2022. That’s when Assembly Bill 481 went into effect, a law meant to increase police transparency.
The council was split at last year’s meeting on police military gear, approving the department’s proposal in a narrow 4-3 vote, ChicoSol reported.
