The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) recovered 55 weapons during a prohibited-possessor operation that began earlier this year and ended in late September, according to the department.
In September 2013, the Long Beach City Council provided discretionary funding, as part of the Fiscal Year 2014 budget, to support an operation to get illegal weapons off the street, utilizing the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS), an online database that cross-references persons who possess a gun and who, subsequent to possession of that gun, are legally prohibited from possession.
In April 2014, the department used the APPS and assigned two full-time detectives, with the support of the gang unit, to the operation. The LBPD provided the detectives with specialized training for proper investigation and filing of prohibited possessor cases, as well as necessary equipment to conduct the investigations, according to the department.
Detectives analyzed the APPS and compared it to the list of gun owners registered through The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), identifying persons living within the city who were prohibited from owning firearms yet still documented as being in possession of those firearms. The detectives worked with the California Department of Justice (DOJ), the ATF, and the Los Angeles County Probation Department in a collaborative effort to locate and remove the firearms from potentially dangerous individuals.
“This operation involved extensive and time-consuming investigations on the part of detectives, including the service of 10 search warrants [and] 86 probation searches and assisted with 42 DOJ searches,” states a press release from the LBPD.
The operation concluded on Sept.31, yielding the following results:
• 30 arrests
• 26 felony and four misdemeanor arrests (made on charges related to firearms, narcotics, parole and probation violations)
• 55 firearms recovered
• 42 handguns (six assault rifles, four shotguns and three rifles)
According to the DOJ, nearly 20,000 Californians possess firearms they are prohibited from having due to criminal convictions, mental illness or being the subject of domestic-violence restraining orders. These individuals are in possession of approximately 39,000 guns, including about 1,670 assault weapons.
According to the DOJ, about half of the persons on the APPS list are prohibited possessors due to criminal history, about 30 percent are due to mental health status, and about 20 percent are due to active restraining orders. Law-enforcement agencies have access to the APPS and are able to identify persons who are prohibited from possessing a gun and have the legal authority to confiscate those guns.
To report someone who may be in possession of a prohibited firearm, contact the LBPD Gang Enforcement Section at (562) 570-7370. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus the tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting lacrimestoppers.org .
Source: LBPD
