Ask Joe:
Monthly, IAPE's primary instructor, Joe Latta will answer one of your questions. We would love to hear from you. Submit a question for Joe to answer here, use our Contact form.
Hey Joe, what do i do when my boss says, "This is the way we have always done it!
I recently attended your class in Colorado and listened intently on your philosophy of checking guns when submitted the property room for both loaded status and to validate serial numbers. When I approached my captain about opening a gun box and to check the loaded status and serial numbers his response was "the officers know not to turn in a loaded gun and there is no need for you to have to check the serial numbers." How do I impress upon my boss the importance of checking the loaded status of guns and validating serials numbers.
Thanks, My Boss Knows Everything!
 Dear My Boss Knows Everything! In law enforcement we all hear our bosses and other employees say, "that's how we have always done it and have never had a problem". Right? Sometimes it requires some type of external intervention to change one's mind. The external intervention may be hearing about the mishaps of another department. As you may recall in the class I shared a story about conducting an audit for a department here in California where I inquired about a safekeeping gun that had been on the shelf for over three years. Upon further investigation I found that the gun's serial numbers were transposed and the safekeeping gun was in fact a gun's that was taken in a home invasion robbery. The firearms had been taken out of a car during a drunk driving arrest, and the mere possession of an unloaded gun in the trunk was not a crime. The drunk driver was, in fact, a home invasion robbery suspect robber that was not known to the arresting officer. If the serial number had been validated upon receipt in the property room, or some other set of eyes during the submission process, a home invasion robbery suspect could have been identified could possibly have been identified sooner rather than later. If the serial number had been validated upon receipt in the property room, or some other set of eyes during the submission process, it's possible that a home invasion robbery suspect could possibly have been identified sooner, rather than later. If the suspect had bailed out of jail on the drunk driving charge, and committed another home invasion robbery with injuries, could there be any liability on the department for not identifying the stolen status of the gun? Just recently, while surfing the internet for a specific story, I found the following news article that may validate why we want to have a second set of eyes to validate guns serial numbers. Trooper Kills Himself Over a Gun Check September 28, 2002| Los Angeles Times Violence: His error may have helped a Nebraska suspect make bail before a robbery that left five dead. Colleagues downplay the mistake. A state trooper killed himself Friday in despair over botching a gun check on a man who later allegedly took part in a deadly bank robbery. Trooper MZ committed suicide a day after three men stormed into a local branch of U.S. Bank and fatally shot four bank employees and one customer. MZ had stopped one of the suspected gunmen, EFV, on a traffic violation last week. At that time, he arrested EFZ for carrying a concealed weapon. But when he entered the gun's serial number into a police computer, MZ transposed two digits. Had he entered the correct numbers, he would have learned that the gun was stolen and EFV would have been charged with a more serious offense that might have kept him in jail longer. As it was, EFV was able to post bond after just a few hours in custody. After the suspect was arrested in connection with the holdup, friends said MZ was devastated. He killed himself with his service revolver in a field outside. For Additional Information on the topic visit IAPE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS - FIREARMS
Standard 7 Firearms for further information on the handling of firearms a best practices.
Good Luck, Joe | 
