APD officers to face steep fines, suspension if their city-issued guns are stolen

ATLANTA — A new policy aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of criminals could end up costing Atlanta police officers thousands of dollars in fines and lengthy suspensions without pay.

The new policy, which went into effect on Thursday, is part of an effort to reduce the number of department-issued firearms that are stolen from vehicles.

"Sworn personnel in all divisions will face a minimum three-day suspension and incur the cost to replace their weapon (maximum $500) if they fail to follow department guidelines and properly secure their weapon when left in an unattended vehicle," according to an internal memo that was obtained by Channel 2's Michael Seiden.

Deputy Chief Jeff Glazier told Seiden that he issued the memo after multiple officers reported their guns lost or stolen.

“I haven’t seen any other discipline across the country that’s this severe for this type of infraction,” Glazier said. “We are constantly messaging to the public of how they should not leave guns in cars and so if we are going to hold them accountable, then we have to hold our own officers accountable.”

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Fifty-five Atlanta police officers have reported their guns lost or stolen since 2010.

“We’ve had nine officers come forward this year to report their guns lost or stolen,” Glazier added. “Off-duty guys going home and leaving their guns in their vehicles and then guys are breaking in and stealing them.”

But it’s not just police who are making this mistake.

“Last year, just in the city of Atlanta, we had over 900 weapons from citizens stolen out of their vehicles,” he added.

APD’s policy manual states that department issued firearms should not be left in an unattended vehicle, however, if there are no other available options, firearms stored in vehicles are required to be secured to a fixed position and locked down. Officials recommend that officers store their firearms in a lock box that can be secured with a cable.

Channel 2 Action News asked if any of the stolen firearms had been recovered or used in any recent crimes, but those statistics haven't been released.

“These weapons are on the street,” he said. “They’re being used against police. They’re being used against police. They’re being used against citizens, so we have to stop this behavior. There is zero tolerance. We should not be arming criminals.”

Cox Media Group