Contra Costa Sheriff Plans $1.3 Million Military Equipment Expansion

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Contra Costa County residents will have an opportunity to examine how the sheriff's office acquires and uses military equipment when officials present the agency's annual report and take public questions later this month.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office will host a public review to discuss its annual report on military equipment during a public meeting scheduled for July 21 in Martinez.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Sheriff's Office, 1850 Muir Road, and will include a presentation on the agency's 2025 Government Code Section 7070 Defined Military Equipment Annual Report, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The annual report details the types of military equipment the Sheriff's Office acquired and used during the past year, along with information about quantities and costs, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

Based on the current report, drones have become the sheriff's most frequently used piece of equipment, deploying unmanned aircraft 185 times in 2025 to search for suspects, locate missing people, document crime scenes and major crashes, execute search warrants, monitor protests, assist other police agencies, and support felony arrests.

By comparison, armored BearCat rescue vehicles were deployed 12 times, primarily to transport SWAT personnel and provide ballistic protection during what the agency characterized as high-risk warrant service and barricaded suspect incidents.

Long Range Acoustic Devices were used 10 times to communicate with suspects during tactical operations, while flashbangs, less-lethal launchers, and chemical agents were used a handful of times.

No complaints from the public, or policy violations involving the equipment, were reported in 2025, according to the report.

Looking ahead, the Sheriff's Office plans to spend about $1.27 million on new military equipment in 2026.

The largest proposed purchases include a $392,096 BearCat G3 armored rescue vehicle, a $234,450 Boston Dynamics SPOT tactical robot, more than $200,000 in new drones, $64,000 in Skydio drones, nearly $59,000 in 40mm less-lethal launchers, along with new rifles, suppressors, PepperBall systems, impact munitions, flashbangs, smoke devices, breaching rounds, and chemical agents to replace equipment used during operations and training.

California Government Code Section 7070 requires law enforcement agencies to publicly report on the acquisition and use of military equipment and to provide opportunities for community input as part of the state's oversight process.

The Sheriff's Office said the meeting is intended to promote transparency and accountability by giving residents an opportunity to review the report and ask questions directly of agency representatives.

The 2025 Military Equipment Annual Report is available online through the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office website.

Residents seeking additional information before the meeting can contact the Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer at pio@so.cccounty.us.