NCJ Number
149677
Date Published
Unknown
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This report focuses on the extent to which former New York State law enforcement weapons have been used in crimes in New York and other States; also included are further details on some of the 16 weapons deals described in "Guns for Sale," and of additional State weapons transactions not mentioned in the previous report.
Abstract
An examination of State inventory and contract documents as well as weapons confiscation records generated by or in the possession of law enforcement agencies in six jurisdictions found that more than 24 former New York State agency weapons were later seized as criminal evidence. There were also several recent cases in which State agencies violated Penal Law provisions on the acquisition and disposition of weapons, Finance Law provisions on the sale or purchase of State property, or both. The study also provides additional examples of lax police inventory controls, sloppy recordkeeping, and other questionable weapons management practices by State agencies, including one agency that allowed its officers to become personally involved in the resale of their own and their colleagues' guns. In addition to the 6,807 guns whose disposition was documented in "Guns for Sale," State records show that more than 1,100 other used State agency and authority weapons were disposed of by sale or trade to private gun dealers since 1983. Recommendations address ways to improve the management of the State's weapons inventory program and to provide felony sanctions for violations of State weapons control statutes.