Residents of Northeast Pasadena, Altadena, and surrounding foothill communities can question the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department about its drones, cellular site simulator, and kinetic energy projectiles at a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, July 22.
The one-hour session runs from 5 to 6 p.m. and is free to attend. Registration is open through the LASD at bit.ly/4aIv2Xh.
Who this covers
The LASD's Altadena Station at 780 E. Altadena Dr. provides law enforcement services to unincorporated Altadena, Northeast Pasadena, Pasadena Glen, Kinneloa Mesa, La Viña, Chaney Trail, and the Eaton Canyon and Mount Wilson area. The department announced the July 22 meeting on its official Instagram account (@lasdhq) on Thursday, July 10, posting in English and Spanish.
Why the meeting is required
California's Assembly Bill 481, enacted in September 2021, compels every law enforcement agency to publish an annual report on equipment the state classifies as military and hold a public meeting within 30 days of releasing it. The LASD posted its 2025 Annual Military Equipment Report in June.
This is the second year the department has held a public AB 481 community meeting. The first took place Tuesday, August 26, 2025, covering the 2024 report, according to a Board of Supervisors renewal letter.
What the report covers
The 2025 report addresses three equipment categories: unmanned aircraft systems (drones), kinetic energy projectiles, and a cellular site simulator. For each category, the law requires the department to disclose deployment frequency, costs, complaints, and planned acquisitions.
The LASD's cellular site simulator requires a search warrant signed by a judge before it can be activated, except in emergencies. Department policy bars using the device to monitor First Amendment activities such as protests or religious gatherings, and prohibits sharing information collected by the device with federal immigration authorities, according to the 2025 report.
A gap in the data
The department acknowledged in its 2025 report that comprehensive usage data is incomplete. The LASD said it is finalizing a new Military Equipment Management System to centralize tracking of acquisition, deployment, and inventory, but the system's rollout is still in progress and full data was not available for the 2025 reporting period.
How to participate
The meeting is virtual and open to the public. Residents who cannot attend on July 22 can submit questions or complaints at any time through the contact information and public complaint system listed at lasd.org/transparency/ab481. The full 2025 Annual Military Equipment Report is posted at the same address.
