By Vincent Medina
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chris Sigl views the military police equipment as necessary to keep first responders safe.
Sigl, 60, who served in the Army and Navy between 1981 and 1992 said the police need the military-grade equipment to meet the needs of the threats they face.
“Now we need everything to keep our police, first responders, all of them safe,” he said. “We want them to come home, they have families, they have children.”
Local armed forces veterans expressed their support toward the Sacramento Police Department’s use of military equipment in the city after the agency released a draft of the annual military equipment use report for 202-24 this month.
Sacramento police, and other capital law enforcement agencies, have come under scrutiny for purchasing and using equipment that has been intended for combat. Critics say it is too expensive and sends the wrong message to the community.
In the military usage report, the police department shared the equipment they plan to acquire in the next year including nine additional unmanned aerial systems, which would cost $55,631. The department also hopes to obtain additional breaching munitions, armor-piercing rounds, flash bangs, chemical agents and less lethal munitions.
The new equipment, including the drones, would cost in total $95,330.90 if approved by the City Council. It’s not clear when the report and requests would come up for a vote.
Drones are not just for stunning aerial shots anymore; they’re on the front lines of modern policing. From tracking suspects to aiding in emergency responses, this video covers the diverse roles drones play in law enforcement today.
Richard Ragudo, who served in the AmTrac division of the Marine Corps in 1969, also supports police usage of military equipment. He was not bothered by the cost of the equipment, as he said it would be used to protect the community.
“We need to work on our own, our own state,” said Ragudo. “With all these wars going on, we need to utilize some of that money to protect our own.”
The AmTrac division drives amphibious tractors, useful for getting personnel and equipment in and out of water.
Those in the community who have served in the military view the equipment they use as an effective means of keeping the peace and protecting those who are charged with doing so.
Sigl referenced a bomb threat made Tuesday, when Aman allegedly told an employee at the Arden Arcade library he placed a bomb inside a package outside the building. Bomb technicians determined the backpack outside the library did not contain an explosive, but Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies said the suspect who allegedly made the threat was found to have a “live device” and two pounds of explosive material in his La Riviera home.
“This guy supposedly planted a bomb at the library here in Sacramento,” Sigl said. “They went to his house and found a bunch of explosives, you got to take every safety precaution.”
A community meeting with the city’s police review commission to discuss the report and its policies will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
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