UC police ask to beef up stores of weapons and ammo, alarming students

UC police ask to beef up stores of weapons and ammo, alarming students
They are asking the UC regents to let them buy drones, robots, pepper balls, projectile launchers and sponge bullets.

By Nanette Asimov, Higher Education Reporter, Sep 17, 2024, SF Chronicle

University of California police, who clashed with student protesters on several campuses last term, will ask the UC regents this week to let them buy drones, robots, pepper balls, projectile launchers and sponge bullets to bulk up their supplies of weapons and ammunition.

The regents will vote Thursday on whether to approve requests for “military equipment” from five campuses: UC Berkeley, UCSF, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced.

Such requests are not new. But in the aftermath of last year’s tensions, students and some other observers say they are concerned about the militarization of campus law enforcement and what the requests could mean for protests this year.

All law enforcement agencies in the state have had to publicly request approval for new weapons and ammunition since September, 2021, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB481 into law.

Link to rest of article: https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/uc-police-aim-boost-stores-weapons-ammo-alarming-19769416.php