[Southsider2k12]

http://www.michigancityin.com/articles/200.../04/news/n1.txt

Lost firearm is ‘embarrassing'
By Rick A. Richards, The News-Dispatch

Police Chief Ben Neitzel is chagrined that a Michigan City police officer lost his service weapon on the way to work Monday morning.

“This is a grave occurrence, and it's very embarrassing,” Neitzel said Tuesday, a day after the Michigan City Police Department conducted an extensive search along Johnson Road to try and find the missing weapon.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Neitzel said the officer put his Glock .40-caliber Model 27 on the trunk lid of his car as he prepared to leave for work. According to Neitzel, the officer left the weapon, which was in a black nylon holster, on the trunk lid as he drove to work and it apparently fell off somewhere between Summit Farm and Coolspring Avenue in Trail Creek.

Neitzel said MCPD officers, along with members of the Trail Creek Police Department and the LaPorte County Sheriff's Department, walked that stretch of Johnson Road Monday looking for the weapon. It was not found.

The chief said area pawn shops also have been notified about the missing weapon, and its serial number has been entered into the IDACS/NCIC system as lost or stolen.

“If it shows up anywhere, we'll know about it,” said Neitzel.

The chief declined to identify the officer who lost the weapon, saying it is a personnel issue. Once an internal review of the incident is completed, Neitzel said, there will be consequences, although the officer likely will not lose his job.

“I'm not 100 percent sure of what I'm going to do,” said Neitzel, adding that the situation needs to be reviewed by the Police Civil Service Commission before any punishment is handed down.

“There wasn't intent on his part so I don't think he will lose his job,” said Neitzel. “This is something that's embarrassing to the agency and to the officer.”

Neitzel said he cannot recall another instance of an officer losing a weapon, although a few years ago, he said, someone broke into a locked squad car and took a weapon that had been left inside. He said that weapon was later recovered.

“We are reviewing our SOP (standard operating procedures) to see if there are any amendments we need to make to be sure this doesn't happen again,” said Neitzel.

While a formal search for the weapon has been conducted, Neitzel said the officer who lost it plans to continue looking for it, possibly using a metal detector.

“He firmly believes it's in the weeds somewhere along Johnson Road,” said Neitzel.

The chief, however, said it is possible that someone else saw the weapon and picked it up, not realizing it belonged to a law enforcement agency.

There is no timetable to review the situation, and Neitzel said that once a decision is made, the department will announce it.

Anyone with information about the weapon is asked to call 874-3221.

Contact City Editor Rick A. Richards at rrichards@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Max Main]

I may have to take a run along there.

[Ang]

I may have to take a run along there.

Maybe they'll give you a reward if you find it.

On 2nd thought, it IS MCPD--I doubt if you would even get a "Thank You."

[JHeath]

The gun has been found and turned in to the MCPD.
LP H-A ran this story today:
http://www.heraldargus.com/archives/ha/fro...y&id=374613

Can you find the gun in this picture?

Christina Ortega, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13863, cortega@heraldargus.com


Johnson Road looking north from the Summit Farm Tuesday afternoon, where a police officer lost his gun Monday morning.
Neither could Michigan City Police - until this morning

LA PORTE COUNTY -- After two days of searching for a missing police gun, an officer’s loaded Glock .40 caliber Model 27 was returned to Michigan City Police this morning.

The officer’s service weapon had been missing since 7:40 a.m. Monday, somewhere on Johnson Road between Summit Farm and East Coolspring Avenue, when the unidentified officer preparing for work forgot it was resting on the trunk of his or her squad car and drove off without it, according to a press release.

Police Capt. Tom Howe told The La Porte County Herald-Argus this morning that the handgun and its black nylon holster were turned in at the police station this morning by a person who found them on Johnson Road.

“It seems to be in good shape,” he said of the weapon, which was still fully loaded.

All officers are trained to keep their weapons loaded when on or off duty, he said.

Officers searched the area immediately after the officer reported it missing Monday, but couldn’t find it, according to a press release.

The weapon was registered lost or stolen with the Indiana Data and Communications System (IDACS) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The registration is standard procedure when any police equipment is missing, Howe said.

Although he wouldn’t disclose the name of the officer who lost the gun, Chief Ben Neitzel said Tuesday that disciplinary action against the officer was being pursued. Before an officer can be disciplined, however, he said a description of actions to be taken must be submitted to and approved by the Police Civil Service Commission.

“Obviously we’re pleased that it’s returned,” Neitzel said. “There’s a lot of honest people out there.”

While Neitzel said officers have had their weapons stolen from their squad cars before, he couldn’t recall any officers ever losing their guns.

A spokesman with IDACS said this morning that in 2006, 18,973 guns were reported stolen and 930 lost in Indiana. Those include citizen as well as any police reports of guns stolen or lost. Of those, only 4,035 were recovered.

[mcstumper]

No one likes the idea of a loaded firearm lying on the side of one of our major roadways - but I don't think I would classify this as an embarrasment to Michigan City. Especially in light of what has been happening in Chicago the last few weeks. Hopefully an appropriate punishment will be served and the rest of the force will be encouraged to take even more careful with their weapons.

[Southsider2k12]

I think embarassing is a solid discription if you ask me. What happened in Chicago would classify more as more like horrific, or something like that. And it isn't Phil Cline that should be resigning there, its the mayor who has seen repeated cases of this stuff happen during his whole time in office, and nothing has changed in the police culture.

[Ang]

Okay Southsider--fill me in. What happened in Chicago? We only get news about Denver here.

[Southsider2k12]

In the last few weeks a video tape from a survielence camera emerged that showed an off duty police officer brutally beating a much smaller female bartender because she cut him off from drinking. Its the latest in a long, long series of incidents of police brutality, torture, corruption, and just general misconduct that has gone on for decades in Chicago. The link is to a copy of the video on YouTube, if you are interested. Its not pretty, and I wouldn't recommend viewing it if your kids are around, or if you have a week stomach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l93Ixy_q93I

[Ang]

WOW!!! So, what is happening to the police officer? I hope that woman presses charges. That, in my opinion, is worth $30 million if that woman should sue. He should also spend time in jail. That is just rediculous what he did to her!!

I used to work at Ford City and I have absolutely NO FAITH in Chicago PD. I've seen them do some very questionable things-IN A MALL-where everyone else can see them too and not care what people thought.

[Southsider2k12]

At first they didn't do much, but once the video hit, now they are going after the cop big time. The other thing I forgot to mention that really got people wound up, is after the incident, the cops buddies went back into the place and tried to bribe/intimidate people into saying that they didn't see anything...

[Max Main]

The reason ppl do't like cops is that they are too unpredictable. Most are not very well trained, either, it seems that there is a lot of intimidation that goes on on the streets or in the interogation room.

[Ang]

Max, you are so right! I am friends with a couple of MC cops and the ones I know are pretty good cops. But, for the most part, cops are very unpredictable. Even out here in Wyoming, the cops are pushy and mean. They're condescending and in most cases, flat out rude.

[Southsider2k12]

An update to this story, the officer has been suspended without pay.

http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=374775

Officer who lost gun suspended without pay
Comment on this story


MICHIGAN CITY -- The Michigan City Police officer who lost his service weapon earlier in the week has been suspended without pay as a result.

The weapon, a loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun, went missing Monday somewhere on Johnson Road between the Summit Farm and Coolspring Avenue after the officer, on his way to work, placed it on the trunk of his car and forgot about it when he drove to work.

The gun and its black nylon holster were returned to Michigan City Police Wednesday morning by a person who found them in the 5900 block of Johnson Road, Chief Ben Neitzel told The La Porte County Herald-Argus Thursday.

Officers had searched for the weapon without success Monday after it was reported missing, and then registered it missing with the Indiana Data and Communications System and the National Crime Information Center.

Since the matter is internal, Neitzel would not disclose the officer’s name. He did, however, say the officer was a senior member of the force.

[Max Main]

I heard that it is a cop with 30yrs in, who got doughnut filling on his pants , stopped to wipe it off, and left his gun on the car when he drove off. Is this accurate?