Indianapolis PD firearm seizure, no return

[edporch]

This is an example of why I say not to put a lot of money in your everyday carry pistol.
That way when it's "confiscated" (stolen) for "evidence", the bite won't be quite as much.
Sure, the government can make a list of "legitimate" sounding excuses, but in the end, it's nothing more than de facto theft.

Say for example I possessed something that belonged to somebody else for a legitimate reason.
Then my reason isn't valid anymore.

From that moment, I have an obligation to return it to it's rightful owner.
If I refuse by claiming I'm "too busy", "have to many other things to do", "gee, I forgot", or any other excuse, it would become theft I did it, and is theft when the government does it.

 

[bwframe]

Last year my pile of disposition forms was about 2" thick and numbered close to 300. That's 300 pieces of evidence I had to sign off to either keep, destroy or return to owner. To make that decision, an Officer has to look up the associated case and determine if it was decided or not, then what the outcome was, then if there's any current appeals. It took me several months to wade through my property forms, working in any down time I managed to come by. It is a tedious process to say the least.

So what do we need to do to make that work better manageable for you and other officers that are overwhelmed?

 

[phylodog]

So what do we need to do to make that work better manageable for you and other officers that are overwhelmed?

Lol, that kind Sir is a question that no one in the city of Indianapolis has asked in the last 15 years.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Don't you think that call might come closer to getting an answer coming from you though?

That's not been my experience, but I'm not as tall as Frank.

 

[rhino]

The possibility of confiscation of a carry gun after I needed is the least of my concerns. I'm a lot more concerned with 1) Reliability, and 2) whether or not I can shoot it well.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

The only holdup now is the recovering Officer signing the disposition form authorizing it's release. Their records show the form has been sent to the Officer twice and never returned.

Sounds like that officer needs someone of higher rank to get in his ass.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Good suggestion!

Don't you think that call might come closer to getting an answer coming from you though?

The Property Room's specific written policies would be great posted right here.

Thank you!

Answers wouldn't come any faster with me asking. I'm 2nd from the bottom in importance. I get questions asked of me, I don't get to ask those kind of questions. But like I said, you are welcome to call and ask them as there is no consequence for you doing so.

 

[bwframe]

Answers wouldn't come any faster with me asking. I'm 2nd from the bottom in importance. I get questions asked of me, I don't get to ask those kind of questions. But like I said, you are welcome to call and ask them as there is no consequence for you doing so.

Thanks again, for your help with this!

From the answers above, it looks as if management is the problem. How do we citizens help to solve this?

 

[brotherbill3]

Only partly relevant - and today's been tooooo stressful already (just normal life stuff but way to much of it) - Frank, I've sent this to you a few years ago when you were doing some study report or something -

CLiFF NOTES version:
way back when (before I joined INGO or the other forum); before I new anyone who carried; and before I carried everyday -

wife and I were at the range/shops - testing some stuff out - When we left - our car got hit - and totaled. We were taking an amulamps ride (for precautions)

not having all the knowlege I asked the officer at the scene to secure the revolver we had in a tote, in the car.
got bad info on the return of said revolver.
about 3 months - about 6 to 8 calls - and at least 6 trips down town later.
and lots of excuses, given that this WASN'T a "confiscated" weapon - just one requested to be secured - laughable reasons in light of what I know now.
and I eventually had the whole revolver and tote of ammo back.

Feel free to share if you still have it Frank.

The policies (quite a few of them) are annoying ...

 

[edporch]

The possibility of confiscation of a carry gun after I needed is the least of my concerns. I'm a lot more concerned with 1) Reliability, and 2) whether or not I can shoot it well.

True, but a reliable carry gun doesn't have to be expensive with a lot of custom modifications.

For example, I have a Sig P229 in .357 Sig as my main carry gun.
But in many cases I carry just a S&W M&P 9 mm Shield with extra mag that I paid about 1/3 the money for.

I use Underwood ammo in it and it's been 100% reliable without any malfunction in hundreds of rounds, and is plenty accurate enough.

 

[HKUSP]

I wish I hadn't read this thread. I'm not being filled with confidence here.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I'm not being filled with confidence here.

Me either.

 

[Kutnupe14]

I wish I hadn't read this thread. I'm not being filled with confidence here.

I also suggest you use a money clip and ID holder rather than a wallet.

 

[pack-indy]

 

[VUPDblue]

Sounds like that officer needs someone of higher rank to get in his ass.

I sent him an email wednesday asking for the favor of him contacting the firearms branch and releasing the gun. I have yet to hear from him.

 

[jagee]

I sent him an email wednesday asking for the favor of him contacting the firearms branch and releasing the gun. I have yet to hear from him.

He's probably too busy at Eagle Creek shooting the gun in question to bother with paperwork.




(Purple implied...don't taze me, bro!)

 

[HoughMade]

I also suggest you use a money clip and ID holder rather than a wallet.

You can suggest all you want but where i come from, money clips are for city slickers.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

FWIW, it took me 13 months to get my duty rifle back and it's a city owned rifle. There's no "profit" or motivation to hold a city owned rifle...yet 13 months. They issue me several guns, so they aren't trying to keep it out of my hands...yet 13 months. I don't think there's any grand conspiracy or political statement. I think it's an awkward process with several bottlenecks and each step may make sense on its own but when viewed in totality there's almost got to be a better way.

The process could certainly be faster, I know I wanted my stuff back (rifle is the city's but some of the accessories are mine and I've had that rifle for years) as well. I do understand that sometimes a gun has value as evidence and must be held, and I am intimately aware of the backup at crime lab to get things test fired.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I sent him an email wednesday asking for the favor of him contacting the firearms branch and releasing the gun. I have yet to hear from him.

Do I know him? If so, I'll call him or meet him in person.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

FWIW, it took me 13 months to get my duty rifle back and it's a city owned rifle. There's no "profit" or motivation to hold a city owned rifle...yet 13 months. They issue me several guns, so they aren't trying to keep it out of my hands...yet 13 months. I don't think there's any grand conspiracy or political statement. I think it's an awkward process with several bottlenecks and each step may make sense on its own but when viewed in totality there's almost got to be a better way.

The process could certainly be faster, I know I wanted my stuff back (rifle is the city's but some of the accessories are mine and I've had that rifle for years) as well. I do understand that sometimes a gun has value as evidence and must be held, and I am intimately aware of the backup at crime lab to get things test fired.

My G22 was in line to be destroyed even though it was a city owned gun because no one bothered to tell them it wasn't supposed to be. I had to get special permission to have it sent to the armory for safekeeping.