Posted on 06/18/2012 4:14:21 AM PDT by marktwain
Army First Lt. Augustine Kim’s finally got the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to return his guns after two years -- only to find them permanently damaged. The department violated its own regulations on handling firearms in evidence by engraving marks on the sides of the guns, and the city should reimburse the soldier for the loss.
The Afghanistan war veteran was wrongly arrested while lawfully transporting his firearms from New Jersey to his home in South Carolina.
All charges were later dismissed, but the city refused to respond to repeated requests from the national guardsman to return the $10,000 worth of property seized during a traffic stop.
After The Washington Times highlighted this case, his congressional representatives -- Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Jim DeMint and Rep. Tim Scott -- got involved.
Mr. Graham wrote to Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier to demand the guns be returned to his constituent immediately.
On Friday, May 18, MPD Property Clerk Derek Gray ruled that the guns should be sent to a police department in Charleston “next week.”
By Thursday, May 24, with one day to go until the deadline, the guns had not arrived. Lt. Kim’s attorney, Richard Gardiner, could not get an answer about when they were sending it from the evidence department.
I asked MPD Spokesman Gwendolyn Crump about the status. She responded two hours later that the guns, “will be delivered to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office by Saturday.”
In a last-minute effort to make the deadline, MPD paid the shipping cost for priority overnight Saturday FedEx delivery.
The department should have saved the taxpayers’ money because the Forensic Services Service department in the Charleston County Sheriff's office was closed on the weekend. Since Monday was Memorial Day, the soldier was not able to pick up his personal guns
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
She’s fearless! Andy Parks has her on his show a couple of times each week, and she really knows how to stick it to the DC tinhorn dictators.
I think I’d be suing the DC police department.
The guns have been ruined for resale value and the markings were not done in accordance with department policy.
This is exactly what I’d expect from DC finest thugs.
Lt. Augustine Kim would have to stand in line. The MPD is facing multiple suits all the time.
It’s time to move the capitol to free American territory, Washington D.C. has been captured and occupied by the enemy.
I’d like to know why DC is engraving on the firearms in the first place. There is no reason to do so legally, forensically, or otherwise.
If I were that LT. I’d make them buy him one for one, new guns.
Does Congress not administer D.C.?
This cess pit of totalitarian control needs to be pulled up short.
So what? Even if they get sued it will be the taxpayers that pick up the tab.
I dunno, the guns, with copies of the letters from the Senators and related newspaper articles, might command a premium.
Actually he should sue the officer who did the marking. Would be interesting to see if the Department provided defense for him violating their policies.
> If I were that LT. I’d make them buy him one for one, new guns.
That might be the wrong approach.
I purchased a firearm in 1982 for $399.
I could purchase another of the same model number (but different internal design) right now for about $700.
Because of design features that were removed from the model I own sometime between its purchase and now, my gun is worth more.
I have actually been offered $3000 for it by a gun dealer.
It’s too bad I lost it last summer in a canoe accident.
I agree, don’t sue the department, sue the offending officer to ensure the money comes out of his pockets and not the city’s.
“So what? Even if they get sued it will be the taxpayers that pick up the tab.”
If the voting public would attend town hall meetings during the primary season and challenge the candidates to promise to work to change the protection given government employees some of this crap might change.
It was not the taxpayers who damaged the gun but some government thug. That thug should be on the hook first and the taxpayers second if at all.
That being said, if my weapons were returned with permanent brag-tags like that, there would be some hell to pay.
The engraving requirement is insane.
It is a taking without compensation.
It is a presumption of guilt.
They never expected anyone outside the PD to ever see the guns again so they didn’t care if their markings violated policy or not.
“Does Congress not administer D.C.?”
Nope. D.C. got home rule in 1973. Thus able to elect POSes like Marion Berry.
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