A duty weapon, loaded magazines, taser, baton and handcuffs were among several items stolen from the burglarized trunk of a "personal car" owned by a 23-year-old officer with the New Orleans Police Department, according to a news release issued Sunday afternoon (July 16) by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. The alleged burglary happened in the 3900 block of the North I-10 Service Road in Metairie.

The news release states that just before 3 p.m. Sunday, the NOPD officer reported that the driver's side back window of her "personal car" had been shattered and the trunk was popped open. Missing from the trunk was the officer's duty belt, which included a duty weapon, taser, extended baton, handcuffs, radio, flashlight and two loaded magazines, the news release states.

{I am not being critical here, she was not fueling her car with keys in the ignition like the FBI agent. I would imagine different departments have different policies??}

I am guessing that NOPD does not have take home fleet. Which means that the officers drive their personal vehicles back and forth to the station, dress out, and get a pool car for the shift.

So, yeah, that would be standard in that case.

No locker at work to store your gear in?

My duty rig went into my locker when I got off. I wore a 3 inch S&W Model 64 and a pair of airweight S&W cuffs on the drive home.
Also wore the 64 to court.
I rarely ever took my duty rig home.

I took my gear home almost every night for the fist ten years I was in patrol. After that I worked a precinct with secure lockers and would still carry my gear home on the weekends. I know this will come as a shock, but police are people too. Stuff occasionally comes up missing from police locker rooms. My weapon stayed on my person, but the duty rig and other equipment went in the trunk.

Policy (and strongly worded threatening memo by the agency head) specifically forbid leaving agency issues gear, particularly firearms, in any vehicle unattended unless said weapons are in "secured storage" designed for such use. This came about several years back after several stolen handguns.

This is also state law, now. Something similar, anyway.

My uniform and belt stay in my locker at work. Weapon goes home on me.

I'd expect it's pretty common.

I personally change out at work in the locker room, but not all agencies or precincts have good locker rooms.

I don't leave anything in plain sight in my car, and nothing sensitive in the trunk. It'd be a pain in the ass, but no guns or important equipment would get away. My duty belt, body armor, etc., stays at work. I don't carry that stupid S&W M&P unless I'm getting paid to do it, and then only because I don't have a choice.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
I am guessing that NOPD does not have take home fleet. Which means that the officers drive their personal vehicles back and forth to the station, dress out, and get a pool car for the shift.

So, yeah, that would be standard in that case.

What misery that would be.

we had take home cars if you lived in the city...

My gear stayed in the pants and laid on the counter in the bathroom...

If I was going out of town or not gonna be around I put the Taser and gun into the safe...But I'm kinda responsible about other people's guns and such...

she should have to pay every cent back to the PD...Sam Brown Belt, radio, gun, ammo, etc

Now that I think about it, if I thought I could get a Glock replacement, I just might take the firing pin out of my M&P and leave it sitting on the front seat with the windows down.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
we had take home cars if you lived in the city...

My gear stayed in the pants and laid on the counter in the bathroom...

If I was going out of town or not gonna be around I put the Taser and gun into the safe...But I'm kinda responsible about other people's guns and such...

she should have to pay every cent back to the PD...Sam Brown Belt, radio, gun, ammo, etc

Why? Unlocked and in plain view sure but locked and secured in a trunk, certainly not.

If someone broke out the window of your bathroom and took your gear would you be paying back the department?

Don't know how it works there, but here we ARE responsible for the cost of our gear if it is stolen and it wasn't properly secured. They tend to consider anywhere in the home as "properly secured" (weapons must be locked up, but other gear can be stored in a closet), but if it gets taken out of your car you are likely paying for its replacement or taking a lengthy unpaid vacation.

quote:

Originally posted by copaup:
Don't know how it works there, but here we ARE responsible for the cost of our gear if it is stolen and it wasn't properly secured. They tend to consider anywhere in the home as "properly secured" (weapons must be locked up, but other gear can be stored in a closet), but if it gets taken out of your car you are likely paying for its replacement or taking a lengthy unpaid vacation.

Locked in a vehicle trunk consitutes properly secured here.
Unlocked, not good. But locked and had to break a window out you are fine.
Vehicle glass is more secure than that of a home.

What happens if they steal your stuff from a cruiser on duty, still responsible?

Not sure why anyone would store weapons in the trunk of their car without having them in a lock box.

Even when I had a fleet vehicle, all guns went into the house and safe when I got home.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I'd expect it's pretty common.

I personally change out at work in the locker room, but not all agencies or precincts have good locker rooms.

I don't leave anything in plain sight in my car, and nothing sensitive in the trunk. It'd be a pain in the ass, but no guns or important equipment would get away. My duty belt, body armor, etc., stays at work. I don't carry that stupid S&W M&P unless I'm getting paid to do it, and then only because I don't have a choice.

ouch. I feel for you. Smith and Wesson came to my Department's armorers a while back and left a good impression on them. I was just about throwing up at the idea of trading my p226 for an M&P. As far as I know, we are sticking with the Sigs. The only thing I would MAYBE be comfortable switching to is a Gen4 G21.

As far as the original post, I know of 2 officers that put their crap in their trunk and leave it. Makes me cringe.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
we had take home cars if you lived in the city...

My gear stayed in the pants and laid on the counter in the bathroom...

If I was going out of town or not gonna be around I put the Taser and gun into the safe...But I'm kinda responsible about other people's guns and such...

she should have to pay every cent back to the PD...Sam Brown Belt, radio, gun, ammo, etc

Why? Unlocked and in plain view sure but locked and secured in a trunk, certainly not.

If someone broke out the window of your bathroom and took your gear would you be paying back the department?

Well to be truthful, my homeowner would cover it...and my house is a little more secure than a freaking car....

and my bathroom window is eight feet off the ground so there is that......

and many vehicle's trunk space are not really "secured" there are little buttons you can press and VIOLA trunk open...or there are little thingys that pull down and VIOLA access to a trunk...

The thing I was trying to get at was that securing a weapon in a car is not securing it....and yes I admit I did not lock up my duty gun when at home-it sat on the bathroom counter...but you would have had to break-into my home to get it...and I did qualify that when I left, it was secured in the safe.

So not the same thing as leaving a gun in a car's trunk.