Applicable To: Property Control employees

Approval Authority:  Major S. L. Jones

Signature:  Signed by SLJ

Date Signed:  6/18/08

1.               PURPOSE

To establish a procedure for accepting and securing City owned firearms and ammunition, in the Property Control Unit (PCU).

2.               POLICY

It is the policy of the Property Control Unit to accept and safeguard all City owned firearms and ammunition.    

3.               RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1              The PCU commander will implement this directive in the unit.

3.2              The PCU supervisors will ensure that all firearms received by the Unit are handled in accordance with this written directive.   

3.3              Property Control Unit employees will safeguard all city owned firearms coming into their possession.

4.               ACTION

4.1              Securing City Owned Firearms

4.1.1           Employees assigned to the Property Control Unit will not leave any city owned firearms or ammunition unsecured.  In the event the Property Control Unit commander or a designee is unavailable to accept a department owned firearm and ammunition, the employee in charge of the shift will accept and secure the items.  

4.1.2           The PCU commander or a designee who receives a city owned firearm will record its serial number, the make and model and input the firearm’s identifying information in the Property Control Unit’s database to aid in tracking. 

4.1.3           After the PCU commander or a designee accepts the firearm, the ammunition and three magazines, a yellow tag will be attached to the items and stored in one of the Property Unit’s gun lockers (i.e., lockers 51, 52, 53, and 54). 

4.1.4           The PCU’s Armor will check each gun locker daily for firearms and ammunition.

4.2              Security and Storage of Firearms in Armory

4.2.1           Only authorized personnel is allowed to enter the PCU armory.  In the event entry is necessary, each employee will sign a log maintained at the point entry and the employee requesting entry will specify their reason for entering. 

4.2.2           The PCU commander will review this register at least monthly to determine who is entering the PCU armory and their purpose. Due to the sensitivity of the items in the armory, personal visits are not sanctioned.

4.2.3           City owned firearms will be kept in the Property Room’s armory and segregated from general evidence items to prevent commingling with other items that require special handling.

4.3              Safekeeping and Tracking City Issued Firearms

4.3.1           After a city owned firearm is returned for safekeeping, it will only be handled by the Property Unit commander or the Department’s armor.

4.3.2           If the employee is separating from the department, the Property Control Unit supervisor will sign the Equipment Turn in Form (i.e., APD.SOP.217) in accordance with APD.SOP.2131 “Collection of Department Equipment”.

4.3.3           It is the responsibility of the PCU commander or the PCU armor to transport a city owned firearm to the APD firing range staff for reissuance, necessary repairs, etc.

4.3.4           The property commander or the Departments armor will require the academy’s range supervisor, or a designee to sign the PCU firearms ledger to acknowledge receipt of each firearm.  The ledger will be maintained in the PCU and the unit’s database will be updated to reflect the current status of a particular city owned firearm.

5.               DEFINITIONS

                  None

6.               CANCELATIONS

                  None

7.               REFERENCES

                  APD.SOP.2131”Collection of Department Equipment”