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Commissioners debate control over disposal of forfeited firearms; sheriff favors destruction
Summary
Commissioner Seekins asked the board to revise the Sheriff's forfeited-weapons disposition policy so commissioners have final say; Sheriff Lancaster said he would prefer to destroy weapons "out of respect to victims of crime," and the board agreed to propose a policy modification for a future vote.
Commissioner Scott Seekins asked the Somerset County Commissioners to revisit the Sheriff's Office policy on disposition of forfeited firearms and proposed that the Commissioners retain final authority over disposal decisions. Commissioner John Alsop said he preferred to keep the policy as currently written.
Sheriff Lancaster said his "philosophical approach would be to destroy the weapons out of respect to victims of crime," and Commissioner Robert Sezak said he would support destroying some guns in-house, particularly those with removed or modified serial numbers. The board reached consensus to draft a proposed policy modification for a vote at the next meeting.
