Recent inventory check shows 34 handguns unaccounted for at CPD

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Nearly three dozen Columbus Police Department guns are unaccounted for and now there’s an investigation to figure out where they went.

City leaders are trying to understand what happened to the handguns during a recent inventory check.

The agency has seen guns taken in homes and car burglaries where officers were the victims.

Although little information is being released, a break-in doesn’t seem to be the case here… where more than 30 guns are displaced.

A recent inventory check at the Columbus police department shows 34 handguns are unaccounted for within the agency.

Columbus mayor Keith Gaskin says it’s one of the issues and concerns he’s had about CPD for a while.

“It’s one of the reasons that I’ve had concerns about the police department for quite some time now. This is to me just another example where we haven’t been running the department at the level that it needs to be and it’s something that we have to get a handle on,” said Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin.

It is unclear if there was a paperwork issue involving the firearms if they were potentially taken, or how long the inventory dates back.

Gaskin and Interim Police Chief Doren Johnson have talked about the issue.

Johnson would only say it is an inventory matter and declined an on-camera interview.

Mayor Gaskin relates this back to when an officer got his car broken into and feels that there needs to be answered soon.

“This goes back to the conversations I had when the firearms were stolen out of an officer’s vehicle. I was very concerned with the police department that we needed to make sure that we were doing everything we need to to make sure those guns were secure and that we had accountability for all the firearms that we are in ownership of in the police department. And it seems from what I’m hearing that we have not been so yes it’s a big concern of mine,” said Mayor Gaskin.

WCBI has reached out to the city council and is awaiting a response.

We will continue to monitor this situation and release information as it becomes available to us.

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