The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) announced Thursday, Sept. 13, via a press release, that an illegal-firearm operation officers conducted from February through June of this year resulted in multiple arrests and the confiscation of numerous weapons.
The investigation was conducted in collaboration with the California Department of Justice’s Firearms Bureau, the Long Beach Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Offices’ Firearms Relinquishment Program.
Collectively, the operation resulted in 62 arrests, 42 of which were felony arrests, and 13 of them gang-related. Additionally, 73 firearms, which included handguns, shotguns and assault rifles, were confiscated.
The five-month operation was funded through discretionary overtime that was provided to the LBPD by the Long Beach City Council.
“Removing firearms from the hands of individuals who have shown a propensity for violence and cannot legally possess them helps prevent gun violence and makes our community safer,” said LBPD Chief Robert Luna in the press release.
According to the LBPD, those prohibited from possessing firearms may include felons, ex-felons, individuals restricted by conditions of their probation/parole or restraining orders, dishonorable discharge from military and those placed on mental-evaluation holds.
The department wrote that officers became aware of these individuals through various means, which include tips from the community, court processes, information from other law-enforcement agencies and through information sharing between LBPD detectives and patrol officers.
