Sacramento County supervisors authorize military equipment purchases by sheriff
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Supervisors approved Sheriff's Office authority to purchase new military equipment.
- Proposed purchases include a $500K Bearcat, a $449K robot and 27 drones.
- Activists raised concerns over costs, oversight and equipment effectiveness.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved the request to purchase new military equipment for the Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.
The Sheriff’s Office can now buy equipment like a Lenco Bearcat. With a starting price of $300,000, this vehicle costs the sheriff $500,000, according to the agency’s military equipment use report. Bearcats are armored vehicles used to move tactical officers to and from high-risk situations.
In June, the Sheriff’s Office requested equipment to replace its drones, robots, and armored vehicles with approval from the county. After their original motion was deferred due to financial concerns, Tuesday’s meeting brought their proposal back to the board. A video presentation from the Sheriff’s Office said the equipment assists in combating “trafficking and organized retail theft.”
The Sheriff’s Office’s request included a $449,000 Boston Dynamics SPOT robot and 27 drones that range from $5,000 to $9,000 each, according to the military equipment use report.
The Board of Supervisors approved the motion 4-0, with Supervisor Patrick Kennedy absent. Assembly Bill 481, passed in 2021, requires California law enforcement to get local government approval before buying equipment or taking steps to receive funding.
“It’s indisputable that this kind of technology has resulted in safer outcomes for both officers and members of the public,” said Supervisor Rich Desmond. “I think these are prudent items, and I encourage the sheriff to acquire them.”
Community activists Keyan Bliss and Barbara Ramm opposed the approval of military equipment and said it was fiscally irresponsible.
Ramm, a member of Decarcerate Sacramento, criticized a promotional video the Sheriff’s Office presented, which showed military equipment assisting in arrests and rescuing individuals.
“There’s no detailed report,” Ramm said. “(The sheriff) can do little presentations that make people look really bad, and that they’re actually using it and it’s successful, but there’s no details.”
Bliss argued that the Sheriff’s Office does not “need the equipment,” as the agency is seeking pre-approval “should the need arise,” according to the county’s report.
The request from the sheriff stated it “cannot confirm” whether the military equipment was bought. Instead, the approval gives the agency “the authority to act quickly if equipment needs to be replaced due to damage or age,” the county report stated.
“It’s an acknowledgement that the Sheriff’s Office neither needs this equipment, given that it has plenty of reasonable alternatives already within its current inventory,” Bliss said in a Sacramento Bee interview. “It also is unreasonably expensive.”
James Petrinovich, a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office tactical commander, said the equipment request includes a replacement for its drones, which are “often swatted down or destroyed.” He said the agency’s current Bearcat is “running on fumes at this point,” and that the new model will replace their 2008 model.
After the motion was approved, Supervisor Phil Serna issued a recess after heckling began in the chambers. Bliss then argued with Serna, and in response, Serna told Bliss to “grow up.”
The Sheriff’s Office's military equipment inventory includes 56 drones, three armored vehicles, three high mobility multi-purpose vehicles and nine robots, according to their presentation.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM.
