Gordon Graham
Category: Law Enforcement, Corrections

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for law enforcement and corrections.

Many weapons owned by law enforcement agencies have found their way onto our streets each year.

Today’s Tip is for law enforcement and corrections officers and deals with misplaced weapons. 

Do you know when your agency conducted its last full inventory of all weapons it owns? Shouldn’t we have an accurate inventory of all agency-owned weapons at all times? It might surprise you to find out that some agencies do not have an accurate inventory and some do not conduct regular weapon inventories. Even more shocking might be the fact that weapons owned by law enforcement agencies find their way onto our streets each year, in the hands of people who have no business possessing them. This is unsafe and embarrassing. 

How does this happen? Many times it is very simple. Guns are lost and guns are stolen. No report is made. No inventory is conducted so the unreported losses and thefts are not discovered. 

It is our job to promote public safety. Why aren’t we doing everything we can to prevent our department-owned weapons from getting into the hands of criminals? While keeping our weapons accounted for might seem like common sense, the lack of accountability has led to law enforcement weapons being used in violent crimes. 

Weapons should always be locked and secured whether we are at work, at home, or in the car. Under no circumstance should we ever permit an unauthorized person to handle an agency-owned firearm. If we ever lose a weapon or have a weapon stolen, we must report it right away. And now is a great time to get the periodic weapons inventory program started at your agency.  

And that is Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Gordon, Graham signing off.