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SR 07-18-2023 5F City Council Report City Council Meeting: July 18, 2023 Agenda Item: 5.F 1 of 5 To: Mayor and City Council From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department Subject: Authorization to Convert the Caliber of Patrol Rifles used by the Santa Monica Police Department from 5.56 NATO to .300 Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) Recommended Action Staff recommends the City Council: 1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines. 2. Authorize the Chief of Police to convert the caliber rounds of the patrol rifles used by the Santa Monica Police Department from 5.56 NATO to .300 Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC). Summary The 5.56 NATO round has been the standard in law enforcement for patrol service rifles since 1996. Technology has rapidly evolved producing superior rifles and rounds that offer a wide array of operational advantages to police departments. Specifically, new rounds were created with performance features designed to mitigate overpenetration and other challenges inherent to populated urban environments such as the City of Santa Monica. Overpenetration, also referred to as excessive penetration, occurs when a bullet passes through its intended target and out of the other side, with enough residual kinetic energy to continue flying as a stray projectile. This creates the risk of unintended damage to objects or persons beyond the initial target. This has become an increasing concern for law enforcement as patrol rifle options become more readily available industry wide. 5.F Packet Pg. 359 2 of 5 The .300 AAC is one version of these advanced rounds developed over the years. These improved and well tested .300 AAC rounds were crafted to not over penetrate when fired and will not travel as far as the 5.56 NATO round. Personnel deploying new rifles chambered with the .300 AAC rounds would be better equipped to diminish the risk of damage to objects or persons beyond the initial target. Discussion California Assembly Bill (AB) 481 requires law enforcement agencies to obtain approval from the applicable governing body (here, the City Council) of its use of military equipment and to establish a Military Equipment Use Policy. Pursuant to AB 481 and the City’s Military Use Policy, the .300 AAC round is deemed “military equipment” and the Department’s transition to this round would require approval by the City Council. The Santa Monica Police Department currently uses rifles chambered in the 5.56 NATO round. The rifles in question are over 15 years old and approaching the end of their service life. SMPD Shooting Range personnel, through the years, were vigilant in the maintenance of these rifles but the unavoidable result of years of wear and tear inevitably necessitated the replacement of parts. The replacement parts for these older rifles, specifically the Heckler and Koch 416 rifle models, which is common platform in law enforcement, have become difficult to obtain. If found, the parts can take up to eighteen months to import from Germany. As a premier law enforcement agency always striving to be the “Benchmark for Excellence,” the Santa Monica Police Department continually reviews its tactics, training, technology, and equipment with the overall goal to improve. As part of this goal, Range personnel were tasked with exploring alternative weapon platforms to replace the aging rifles that could offer optimal performance, improved safety, and potential superior price points. Part of this process was the re -evaluation of the department’s standard 5.56 NATO caliber rounds. The round re-evaluation process allowed Range personnel to identify the .300 AAC round as a desirable replacement for the 5.56 NATO rounds. Published research 5.F Packet Pg. 360 3 of 5 demonstrates the ammunition to be proven reliable in law enforcement operations. Several studies in the last few years showed the .300 AAC to be more effective, in many desired performance aspects, than other similar rounds. The Range personnel also learned widespread adoption of the .300 AAC was already in progress. Agencies such as Los Angeles Police Department SWAT, Scottsdale Police Department, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police Department and various teams within the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) were switching or had already switched to using .300 AAC chambered rifles. As part of the overall weapons platform and round analysis, Range personnel conducted direct evaluations and live tests of new .300 AAC chambered rifles and the .300 AAC rounds. The live tests specifically pitted the performance of the .300 AAC rounds against the performance of the 5.56 NATO rounds. The live fire test team employed members from the Range, the Firearms Training Cadre, and the SWAT team. These live tests were administered in the controlled environment of the Department’s indoor range and within the varied terrain of the commercial outdoor shooting range regularly utilized by the department. The outdoor range allowed the live fire team to experiment with varied materials such as ballistic gel, wood, glass, and metal. In addition, the team was able to evaluate the performance of the rounds against unique obstacles such as vehicles, walls, doors, and windows. The common design of the rifles used during the tests was a Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) AR style with a 5.5” barrel and folding stock. The rifles were all gas piston operated with adjustable gas blocks. The live fire tests were also designed to measure the different rounds’ performance in terms of total distance traveled, muzzle velocity in feet per second (FPS), and velocity at predetermined distances. The results of the measurements were as follows: ROUND Total Distance Muzzle Velocity Velocity at 100 yds Velocity at 200 yds 5.56 NATO 600 yards 3165 FPS 2772 FPS 2412 FPS .300 AAC 400 yards 2185 FPS 1895 FPS 1632 FPS All aspects of the rifles performed beyond initial expectations when firing the .300 AAC rounds. The analysis showed the heavier .300 AAC round traveled a shorter overall 5.F Packet Pg. 361 4 of 5 distance when fired. The rounds also displayed less velocity from muzzle to termination point of the round. The slower .300 AAC round displayed less penetration, when compared to the 5.56 NATO round, across the various mediums and materials used in the testing process. The analysis team concluded the .300 AAC clearly stopped or mitigated the problem of overpenetration, and the long flight travel associated with the 5.56 NATO rounds. It was the firm belief of the team, based on evaluation and tests, the .300 AAC would provide superior operational performance in the field and was clearly a safer option for personnel should the circumstances of an incident compel the firing of a rifle. The analysis process included a cost review of the two different rounds. The price points were as follows: Duty Rounds Per 1,000 Rounds 5.56 NATO $1,321.55 .300 AAC $744.00 The .300 AAC rounds were determined to cost 44% less than the 5.56 NATO rounds. The department currently averages a minimum order of 20,000 duty rifle rounds every two years. The department regularly switches out the duty rounds utilized in the field to counter the degradation inherent with both time and the corrosive salt air of the beach environment. With the concept of community input and transparency in mind, the analysis of the .300 AAC round and its performance was presented to the Public Safety Reform and Oversight Commission on March 7, 2023. After reviewing the information, the Commission was unanimously in favor of the transition from the 5.56 NATO round to the 300 AAC round. Environmental Review The transition to .300 AAC rounds is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 5.F Packet Pg. 362 5 of 5 15302 exempts Class 2 projects which “consists of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced”. The .300 AAC rounds would replace 5.56 NATO rounds, having essentially the same purpose and capacity, and therefore, is considered a Class 2 categorical exemption. Past Council Actions Meeting Date Description 09/27/22 (attachment A) Adoption of an Ordinance Approving the Military Equipment Use Policy Financial Impacts and Budget Actions There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the recommended action. Staff will return to Council if specific budget actions are required in the future. Once implemented, the transition from 5.56 NATO to .300 AAC rounds will result in cost-savings for the department. Prepared By: Nicholas Krueger, Police Sergeant Approved Forwarded to Council Attachments: A. Staff Report - 9.27.2022 (Web Link) 5.F Packet Pg. 363