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Posted by: girlcop21

Oops... Lowell police seek public's help to find officer's missing gun

By Kris Pisarik, kpisarik@lowellsun.com

Lowell SunArticle Last Updated:09/04/2007 02:20:42 PM EDT

LOWELL -- Lowell police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing -- and most likely unloaded -- .40 caliber Beretta after a veteran officer reportedly misplaced the handgun recently.

Acting Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee today called the gun's misplacement a "serious breach of protocol."

"It's a fundamental responsibility of every police officer to safeguard their weapon," Lavallee said, adding that the incident is the subject of an ongoing internal affairs investigation by his department.
He declined to name the officer.

Lavallee said based on information provided by the officer, the gun is not believed to be loaded. He believes the officer emptied the gun's "magazines" at his locker before the gun went missing. But he stressed that police can't be 100 percent certain of that, and urged anyone coming across the weapon not to touch it, treat it as if it were loaded. They should also immediately call Lowell police at (97 937-3200. Lavallee said whomever finds the weapon can remain anonymous if they wish.

Lavallee declined to comment at length about his department's investigation into the missing weapon, but said it appears to be a case of "inattention to detail" by the officer. The officer has not been issued another weapon at this point and is not on patrol duty, but Lavallee said no disciplinary has been taken at this point.

The officer last saw his weapon at the end of his shift Friday. When he returned to work Sunday, he was on desk duty and didn't realize his weapon was missing until the end of his shift, Lavallee said. He immediately reported it missing at that point.
The Beretta is an automatic weapon that is the standard police issue for the Lowell Police Department.

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Posted by: rg1283

What a great way to end a career. I can understand that we're all human beings but to not realize that your weapon wasn't missing for that long period of time is inexcusable.

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Posted by: HPD104

Oops.Hope this works its way out for the officer and the city.

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Posted by: HB7220PD

Way to go Lowell!!

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Posted by: CPT Chaos

Does Lowell PD have a Lost & Found department?

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Posted by: TacEntry

Quote on last line: "The Beretta is an AUTOMATIC weapon" Okay.. Where can I get an AUTOMATIC Beretta!? Typical liberal media trying to scare the shit outta people with SCAAAAAARY GUN TALK!

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Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

I cant for the life of me see how you lose your duty weapon. I can see it maybe getting stolen from your residence but losing it?

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Posted by: Ptlm.Shamrock147

Quote:

Originally Posted by TacEntry Quote on last line: "The Beretta is an AUTOMATIC weapon" Okay.. Where can I get an AUTOMATIC Beretta!? Typical liberal media trying to scare the shit outta people with SCAAAAAARY GUN TALK!

I was thinking the same thing! As if this isnt bad enough, let the media add fuel to the fire!

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Posted by: Redleg13D

I'm surprised it wasn't called a "a large caliber automatic service assualt pistol"

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Posted by: HousingCop

Quote:

The officer last saw his weapon at the end of his shift Friday. When he returned to work Sunday, he was on desk duty and didn't realize his weapon was missing until the end of his shift, Lavallee said. He immediately reported it missing at that point.

OK, so this guy puts his unloaded weapon in his possibly locked locker at end of shift Friday and returns Sunday after his regular 2 days off. He goes in on Sunday and is assigned inside where he doesn't need his weapon, let's say booking or administrative duty. He goes to the locker at the end of shift to get his weapon (possibly for a detail the following Monday morning) and it's missing.
And some of you @ssholes (rg1283 in particular) pile on and say it's HIS FAULT? Is he supposed to have a webcam or GPS on the foolish gun at all times for you nitwits?
For shits & grins, let's say he locked it in his locker in a secured Police station. He's within MGL and the Tom Reilly B.S. put upon us several years back. Maybe he has somebody at home he thinks would steal it if left locked in his bedroom closet. Don't believe the papers, they never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Sometimes you guys amaze me. HC

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Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

I agree with you HC on the comment about newspapers never letting the facts get in the way but no matter how you look at it something stinks. If he secured it in his locker then someone (my first thought is janitor or maintaince) stole it.I refuse to believe a fellow officer took it.I always know where my firearms are and short of someone b&e into my home theyre exacly where I left them.

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Posted by: girlcop21

Quote:

Originally Posted by HousingCop OK, so this guy puts his unloaded weapon in his possibly locked locker at end of shift Friday and returns Sunday after his regular 2 days off. He goes in on Sunday and is assigned inside where he doesn't need his weapon, let's say booking or administrative duty. He goes to the locker at the end of shift to get his weapon (possibly for a detail the following Monday morning) and it's missing. And some of you @ssholes (rg1283 in particular) pile on and say it's HIS FAULT? Is he supposed to have a webcam or GPS on the foolish gun at all times for you nitwits? For shits & grins, let's say he locked it in his locker in a secured Police station. He's within MGL and the Tom Reilly B.S. put upon us several years back. Maybe he has somebody at home he thinks would steal it if left locked in his bedroom closet. Don't believe the papers, they never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Sometimes you guys amaze me. HC

From the article:

"Lavallee said based on information provided by the officer, the gun is not believed to be loaded. He believes the officer emptied the gun's "magazines" at his locker before the gun went missing. But he stressed that police can't be 100 percent certain of that, and urged anyone coming across the weapon not to touch it, treat it as if it were loaded."

Note in the above quote/article, that it doesn't state whether or not the officer put the gun in the locker or not, nor does it sound like anyone including the officer has any cluse as to the location of the gun...

If in fact he did secure the gun in a locked locker, in a restricted access area, and somehow it disappeared, do you really think the PD is going to go public with an internal issue such as that? C'mon. It sucks, but this officer had a mental slip and he misplaced, lost, what ever you call it, his gun. I don't know about you, but I know where my gun is at all times...

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Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

OK, so this guy puts his unloaded weapon in his possibly locked locker at end of shift Friday and returns Sunday after his regular 2 days off. He goes in on Sunday and is assigned inside where he doesn't need his weapon, let's say booking or administrative duty. He goes to the locker at the end of shift to get his weapon (possibly for a detail the following Monday morning) and it's missing. And some of you @ssholes (rg1283 in particular) pile on and say it's HIS FAULT? Is he supposed to have a webcam or GPS on the foolish gun at all times for you nitwits?

Thats an awful lot of assuming....we could also assume he left his gun sitting on the sink in the station as well. Or on top of a desk. If the pistol had been secured in a locker and the locker was broken into, I think this guy would be covered, legally speaking and he shouldn't have any problems. You have to admit that doing anything less than that would be pretty irresponsible.

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Posted by: 94c

I for one will withhold judgement until I get the real story from the Herald.

That's how I know some of you are not real cops. You respond to news articles like they're sworn affidavits.

I don't think even the Quincy Police Chief would put this out as a public service announcement.

Depending on the age of that station, there's probably more than one rat in that building.

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Posted by: bigguy78

Is lowell near Massasoit..............

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Posted by: HousingCop

Yes, I did alot of assuming in my last post. If I am in front of my locker, it's most likely open. I am assuming the same thing for this officer. Why be in front of your locker, unloading your gun in anticipation of your nights off, if the locker is closed??

94C has it right. Alot of people on here read the article as if it were 100% accurate information supplied to them and written down verbatim before it hits the news stands. We've all been at crime scenes and when we read about it in the local rag the next day, it's 50% innacurate. I guess I can ASSume that here as well.
I don't trust the papers for their accuracy or veracity with stories that involve police officers. Sometimes they get the "unnamed sources within the department" who happen to be jackasses with axes to grind. I believe that to be the case here. My opinion, as stated above. HC

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Posted by: bigguy78

Is lowell close to massasoit Campus Police Station......

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Posted by: 94c

hello?... hello?.... Damn phone....

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Posted by: Otto

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94c ... Depending on the age of that station, there's probably more than one rat in that building.

That is where most of my money would be.

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