CA AB451

Requires municipal police departments, county sheriff's departments, California Highway Patrol, and UC/CSU police departments to develop written policies by January 1, 2027 for serving and enforcing court protection and restraining orders that include firearm access restrictions

Mandates law enforcement agencies establish standard processes for timely service of restraining orders, including completing proof of service forms, filing with courts, and entering information into the California Restraining and Protective Order System within one business day

Officers must request immediate firearm relinquishment at the time of service, notify restrained persons of transfer requirements, conduct lawful searches when necessary, and update the Automated Firearms System to record surrendered firearms

Establishes procedures for cases where restrained persons cannot immediately surrender firearms, requiring officers to provide information about 24-hour relinquishment deadlines and 48-hour proof of compliance requirements, with warnings about criminal penalties for non-compliance

Agencies must make policies publicly available and post website information about how petitioners can request order service and how prohibited persons can relinquish firearms to law enforcement custody