E-comment to San Diego City Council Public Safety Committee:
During police encounters with the public, the League of Women Voters of California believes that minimal force should be authorized, and deadly force should only be considered if it is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury. Military equipment is not designed to deliver minimal force and its use should be strictly regulated. The intent of police may be “to protect and to serve” but the intent of most military equipment is more lethal. Whenever military equipment is acquired, we expect that these two very different intentions will be taken into account. In the same way that the federal government cannot use its armed forces against its citizens, the City should consider whether military equipment should be used against our residents. Under AB 392, deadly force can only be used against civilians when absolutely necessary. For civilian law enforcement, any equipment that enables deadly force should be regarded as too extreme.