Last September, the Springfield Police Division (SPD), Springfield, Ohio, acquired 17 new M-4 carbines with a value of just over $14,229.
Now, the Division is looking to upgrade its shotguns to the tune of some $15,000.
“The division, however, isn't using taxpayer money to acquire the firearms,” the Springfield News-Sun reported. “It's acquiring all that new equipment by trading other people's guns, each confiscated during a crime.”
Confiscated firearms used to take up space in the SPD property room.
“Now they're being swapped with federal firearms dealers to keep the division's firepower up to par in lean economic times. For Springfield's police division, it's a new way of dealing with the hundreds of seized firearms in its possession.”
“It's turning a negative into a positive,” said Lt. Brad Moos, who organizes trades for the division. SPD created very specific guidelines for potential trades. “Only sporting firearms-shotguns, rifles and handguns-used in misdemeanors or found by strangers and turned in are being traded.Guns also must have a visible serial number.”
“Something that's used to hurt someone, chances are, 98 percent of the time, that gun is going to the furnace,” said Police Chief Stephen Moody. “As a law enforcement officer, I don't want that gun back on the street. That's an affront to the victim.”
The firearm trades not only help SPD in these tough budget times. The trades have also freed up a good deal of space.
Last year's deal for the M-4's, for example, moved out 160 firearms.
“When I came down here,” said Sgt. Barry Eggers, who manages the property room, “we had 2,000 guns that go back decades. We had shotguns just lying all over the place.”
2012 Gun Prices
Click to get this essential gun price guide for $16.15 (35% off retail).
