Policy Text
Property Bureau Page 1 of 3 58/06.0 (REV 2/96)
METHOD OF DISPOSAL FOR PROPERTY RELEASED ON A PERMANENT BASIS
(FIREARMS)
The purpose of this order is to o utline the procedure for the d isposal of property
(firearms) on a permanent basis. I. Destruction of Firearms
A. Sheriff’s Department policy pr ohibits the sale of firearms s cheduled for
destruction.
B. Unclaimed firearms, found fir earms, firearms that are contra band, firearms
with no known owner, and confisca ted firearms, all of which hav e been in
the possession of the departmen t for more than 180 days will ei ther be
issued for departmental use or destroyed (Sections 12028, 12030 , and
12032 PC).
1. Antique firearms that have a historic value may be delivered to a
state or federal milit ary agency for preservation. Approval of
Sacramento County Couns el is required prior to release (Section
12030 PC).
C. An inventory of all firearms held by the Property Bureau wil l be conducted
during the month of January.
D. Each property receipt/report c ontaining a firearm will be re viewed to
determine if the report has met all release criteria (refer to Operations
Order 57/00.0).
E. Each property receipt/repor t containing a firearm will be re viewed to
determine if the firearm has been in the possession of the Sher iff’s
Department for over 180 da ys (Section 12032 PC).
F. A list will be compiled of t he firearms that meet all releas e criteria and time
requirements.
1. This list will include the r eport number or property number, the
serial number, and a description of the firearm.
Property Bureau Page 2 of 3 58/06.0 (REV 2/96)
G. The completed list of firearms available for destruction wil l be checked
against NCIC records to ensure they have not been reported stol en (refer
to the computer manual).
1. If a stolen entry is obtained , follow the computer procedure s as
outlined in Operations Order 55/ 00.0. Written notification shal l be
sent to the owner advising t hem to claim the firearm.
H. The completed list of firearms available for destruction wil l be sent to the
Rangemaster for review. Firearms t hat are approved for departme nt use
will be processed appropriately (refer to Operations Order 58/0 2[b]).
1. Requests from outside agencies fo r firearms will be reviewed and
filled accordingly (refer to Operations Order 58/02.0).
I. Firearms scheduled for destruc tion will be pulled from their location and all
necessary preparations will be completed.
1. Firearms are destroyed by mel ting. A local foundry is used.
2. All wood or plastic grips and stocks will be re moved prior t o melting.
J. The property officer in char ge of firearms will arrange with the foundry for
a date and time during the mont h of July to conduct the burn (S ection
12028[d] PC).
K. The property officer will be accompanied b y the Rangemaster when
transporting the firearms to the foundry for melting.
1. The property officer and Range master will remain at the foun dry
until the destruction of the firearms is complete.
2. Both officers will sign the firearm destruction list verifyi ng all listed
firearms were destroyed.
L. After the destruction of the fi rearms, all clerical procedur es and computer
entries will be completed.
1. The firearms destruction lis t will be assigned a letter numb er from
the “letter record log” and fil ed in the appropriate administra tive file.
2. The property receipt/report will be signed off in the Declar ation of
Ownership section. The item num ber, letter number, date of
destruction, and the property o fficer’s name and badge number w ill
be entered. The property receip t/report is re-filed in the appr opriate
file (refer to Operat ions Order 55/00.0).
Property Bureau Page 3 of 3 58/06.0 (REV 2/96)
3. The list of destroyed firearms will be reporte d to the Depar tment of
Justice per Section 11108 PC (re fer to the computer manual for
computer procedures).
a. Each entry must include a complete description of each
firearm including manufactur er, brand, model, caliber, and
serial number.
4. All statistical information will be completed (refer to Oper ations
Order 60/00.0).
Firearms for Auction
The Sheriff’s Department will se nd firearms to auction only as specified in
Section 12028 PC: “ The officers to whom the weapons are surrendered, may
annually, between the 1st and 10th days of July, in each year, offer the weapons,
which the officers in charge of them consider to have value with respect to
sporting, recreational or co llection purposes, for sale at public auction to persons
licensed pursuant to Section 12071 to engage in businesses involving any weapon purchased.”
Handguns which are .32 caliber o r less are not sent to auction unless they are a
collector item or they have a long barrel and are obviously a t arget pistol. No .38
caliber short barrel handguns will be sent to auction. The foll owing example of
brands will not be sent to auction:
Davis Industries Jennings North