Monday: Seized guns often auctioned off to fund law enforcement
BY JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Despite an ongoing national discussion on the availability of guns, many law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma and elsewhere supplement their budgets through sales of seized weapons — various firearms often taken off the street from criminals.
Once they have been used as evidence, the seized weapons may either get melted down — a policy the Tulsa Police Department has observed for more than a decade — or they are sold, re-entering the public.
The District 27 Drug Task Force, which covers Wagoner, Cherokee, Adair and Sequoyah Counties, recently held a public auction of about 100 guns, said District 27 Assistant District Attorney Tony Evans.
“Every dime goes back into the office for crime fighting,” Evans said.
Including weapons, automobiles and other seized items, the sale late last month brought in about $60,000, he said. The funds go into the agency’s general fund and pay for things like fuel and running the office.
Read more in Monday's Tulsa World.
Associated Images:
A drug task force agent holds up a Glock 27 .40 caliber sub-compact handgun for bidders to see at an auction of siezed cars, guns and other items at the Sequoyah County Fairgrounds in Sallisaw. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
|
