GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — Two campus police officers at the University of Florida are feeling the heat after they left their vehicles unlocked. A total of 3 firearms were stolen from the two vehicles.
Two of the officers’ personally-owned handguns were swiped and sold on the street for $240. A third weapon — a shotgun — was taken from a marked UF police patrol vehicle and its whereabouts are unknown.
“The safety of the community is of the utmost importance to us,” said UF Police Capt. Kristy Sasser. “When we learned these weapons were out in the community, everyone’s safety was the first thing on our mind.”
The cars were parked in a fenced area of the parking lot at 720 W. University Ave., also known as the Ayers Building. The lot is fenced, but not locked or gated, and is used for UF police patrol cars as well as officers’ own vehicles.
via gainesville.com
Police are investigating to see if the storage of those firearms was done properly, and are also boosting security at the parking lot location.
How do these incidents even happen, when its discussed all the time: Keep your doors locked and if possible, don’t leave firearms inside your vehicles. It’s different with police, I guess, but it wasn’t just firearms that were stolen.
According to a Gainesville police report, a UF police parked her Dodge Challenger just before 6 a.m. Tuesday morning in the temporary lot. Later in the day, she received alerts that her Wells Fargo credit card was being used, and discovered her car had been burglarized.
Her Taurus TCP 738 .380-caliber handgun, silver UF police badge, Hello Kitty pink face mask and a black leather purse with credit cards, passport and Social Security information were taken.
Regardless of where I am or how safe I think I am, those items are always with me. Well, outside of the passport and ss card, which I don’t have on me unless they’re needed for something specific.
It worked out in the end, I guess, given the fact that the suspects used the officer’s debit card for purchases. Police were able to find then based on their location purchases and make arrests.
We’re all guilty of it to a certain degree, but need to hold ourselves accountable for these actions. As far as I know, the two handguns were sold and have yet to be recovered. That’s something I wouldn’t want on my shoulders.
Be smart, secure your firearms and personal belongings, and for the love of all that is holy, lock your doors.
