Eureka Police Chief Presents 2025 Annual Report, Military Equipment Use to Council

Eureka Police Chief Brian Stephens brought the department's 2025 Annual Report and Military Equipment Use Report before the City Council on March 17, detailing an arsenal that includes 38 semi-automatic patrol rifles, seven tear gas and pepper ball launchers, and three newly acquired surveillance trailers — with five more rifle systems and 5,000 rounds of ammunition on the way.

The equipment expansion drew a pointed question from Councilmember Leslie Castellano, who said "I think there's a lot of folks who are kind of concerned" about the chemical launchers and told Stephens she's "curious about how riotous behavior is defined." Stephens framed the full disclosure as intentional, saying he reports on equipment considered standard gear "for purposes of transparency with our community and council."

The planned rifle purchase carries a price tag of $9,625 for five patrol rifle systems, with the accompanying 5,000 rounds of ammunition costing an additional $2,784. Stephens explained the acquisitions in straightforward terms: "We are expanding our officers — we're hiring so the more officers we hire, we have to have equipment for them."

According to Stephens' PowerPoint presentation, the department's semi-automatic patrol rifles are authorized for use in anticipation of an armed encounter, when long-range fire is necessary, to meet or exceed a suspect's firepower, and to handle barricaded suspects. Stephens told the council that officers deployed rifles "on numerous occasions depending on the types of calls or service we were at" during the year, though "there were no rifles actually discharged during the course of the year."

Beyond rifles, the department is converting three shotguns into less-lethal beanbag shotguns, adding to a less-lethal inventory that already includes the seven chemical launchers Castellano questioned.

The three surveillance trailers represent a newer addition to Eureka's policing toolkit, though the department did not provide specifications, deployment locations, or data retention policies during the public presentation.

Eureka police also participate in a regional SWAT team whose use of military equipment falls under a formal agreement with the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. The Eureka Police Department has been subject to quarterly independent reviews conducted by OIRGroup, with reports covering each quarter of 2024 and the first two quarters of 2025 on record.

The City of Eureka posted a media release summarizing the March 17 council presentation. The full 2025 Annual Report and Military Equipment Use Report are available through the city.