The Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles was given a cast-off M-16 by the Federal government. Unfortunately, they are not exactly sure where it is.
In an internal email sent to department supervisors Friday, Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers said the weapon’s disappearance was “embarrassing” and urged supervisors “to turn over EVERY rock to find this missing rifle.”
Department spokesman Steve Whitmore could not immediately say when the gun was misplaced but noted that the department has been suspended by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services from receiving excess federal property because of the mishap.
“I can’t emphasize enough what a big deal it is when we lose an assault weapon, especially one entrusted to us through” the OES, the email said.
“It’s wrong. It’s embarrassing,” Whitmore told The Times on Tuesday. “How could this have happened? Honestly, we don’t know.”
For whatever reason, because of where the weapon came from, the department apparently did not keep close tabs on the location of it. This situation is causing the department to re-examine their weapons handling procedures, and more importantly, documentation of the location of weapons in their possession.
