Got a bone to pick with all the LEO's

[jbcap]

That was a standard pratice that was used by most accredited agencies across the country. It is still in our manuals but have only seen it done a few times in recent years. Evidence tags attached to guns with twist wire or lead seal tags now. Never saw a reason to destroy a perfectly good gun that would be going back to the real owner.

 

[mm6mm6]

It's a stupid policy from several decades ago. It makes absolutely no sense when the gun itself has a unique serial number. I've never done it and never will!

 

[windrunner50]

Some agencies record the serial numbers,enter them,seal, and package the firearm properly. There is no need to engrave info onto the item to maintain the proper "Chain of Custody". The departments still engraving the firearms must be following old time guidelines from years prior......completely outdated............not to mention Wrong on the finer pieces arggggh!

 

[SgtLumpy]

Old thread CPR...

You're supposed to engrave something like your initials on firearms, knives, some other evidence. The FBI academy teaches that. Chain of evidence etc. But you're not supposed to do it on the slide of a 1911 with an ice pick. You're supposed to do it in a tiny, out of the way place where it's not visible unless you know where to look. Then when the opposing atty asks "How can you be absolutely certain this is the gun you took from my client that night?" You can ask to see the evidence, look in the "secret place" with a magnifier and say "Because, counselor, my initials are stamped into the inner ledge of the frame, under the grips, right here. You may use my magnifier to see it if you like"

They make a little stamper thing that puts three initials into a space the size of the 'D' in a penny date marking. It looks like a little screwdriver. You pick an out of the way place, set the punch end on the spot where you want the mark, then tap the other end with your handcuffs.


Sgt Lumpy

 

[feralmerril]

I have a old colt single action that is re serialised by the LAPD. I understand they dont do that any more.

 

[Fishslayer]

That was the unanimous acclaimation among the Judge, all the DA's and the defense attorneys present that day. Summary execution without delay

A safe assumption that this did not happen in Kalifornistan.

 

[hangnoose]

CRUSHING

Maybe the practice has since changed, but in NY many guns were crushed. Seems an awful waste of $ and fine guns to me. I often wondered if some of the guys doing the crushing had real nice collections, JK. It'd sure be a depressing job for me, a dream job for a gun hater I suppose. Do the guys that burn all the weed get a munchies stipend?

 

[tops]

Correct! Larry

 

[DR505]

Old thread CPR...

You're supposed to engrave something like your initials on firearms, knives, some other evidence. The FBI academy teaches that.

They haven't taught that in years.

 

[Fishslayer]

These things are an institutional practice that will have a hard time dying.

JMHO

I retired from the Navy in '94 and we still had to use black ink for everything.

"Because we've always done it that way."

Now they want blue ink because it makes it easier to spot copies. That should last until they come up with printers that can copy colors...


... oh wait...

 

[KKECK5]

With old timers, there are hard habits to break.. Years ago i worked with his guy, had been on the job since the late 1930's. One day he was writing a report with a pencil about 1/2 inch long. I handed him a new pencil and said, 'try this'.. he said....' i came on the job with this pencil, and intend to retire with it'. He retired in 1974. Musta been one fine pencil....

 

[Muley Gil]

I retired from the Navy in '94 and we still had to use black ink for everything.

"Because we've always done it that way."

Now they want blue ink because it makes it easier to spot copies. That should last until they come up with printers that can copy colors...


... oh wait...

I went to Kosovo as an international police officer in 2002. Took about 12 black pens with me. Found out that since this was a UN mission, they wanted everything signed in blue ink.

 

[moosedog]

There's no good reason for that.
There are numerous ways to tag the evidence and retain the chain of custody without ruining any property.

 

[rwsmith]

Jack Ruby's gun

I looked up Jack Ruby's gun the other day and everybody that handled it scratched their name and the date into it somewhere.

 

[pineappleshooter]

I retired from the Navy in '94 and we still had to use black ink for everything.

"Because we've always done it that way."

Now they want blue ink because it makes it easier to spot copies. That should last until they come up with printers that can copy colors...


... oh wait...

I was a Chief Yeoman back then and it was actually black OR blue/black ink. In 21 years as a Yeoman I never did find blue/black ink.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Not guilty of this one. We always used a sealed bag with pertinent info written on the outside. Sorta similar: I've got a dealer friend who recently came across a drop dead mint 4" nickel mod 25 in .45 Colt....except that the previous owner had used an electric pencil to engrave his driver license number under the cylinder on the left side and on the plate on the right side. It appears unfired. I offered to buy it (for a reasonable discount) but he decided to keep it as a shooter.

 

[Alk8944]

There is absolutely no more reason to mark up a gun than there is any other type of evidence. Every other type of evidentiary material can be adequately maintained through the chain of evidence by bagging, sealing and initialing the evidence bag. The theory that this practice started with the few firearms types which did not have serial numbers is a pile of ****.

Why would anyone think there was a special situation with firearms, which mostly have serial numbers, and any other type of property that does not? This is inane. Can you explain how you could identify the contents of a rape kit, a balloon of heroin, a baggy of marijuana? This is simply a way of destroying the guns value by permanently marking it as having by inference been used in a crime in some way.

In all my years I cannot recall ever marking a gun, piece of jewelry, or any other high value item unless it could be done where it didn;t affect the value. The backs or bottoms of appliances, TVs, or similar items would be written on.

 

[35Rem]

Donuts don't have bones!

 

[millisec]

Defacing is bad enough... what I would like to see is more states follow NC and pass more "save the gun" laws. No more arbitrary/mandatory destruction of buyback, seized etc. guns by LE and other governmental agencies. A lot of junk gets collected and destroyed but also a lot of valuable classics that should be kept in circulation. Not to mention there's not a whole lot of states and cities that don't need the revenue from auctioning them off like other seized property.