ABQ cops find stolen property
Albuquerque cops caught a thief with 30 stolen guns. Now the question remains- were those guns returned to the owners, or are they now stolen by the police department instead of the freelance thief? After all, as long as the guns are not back with their owners they are still stolen. If the police still have the guns, then the police are accessories to the theft and are no better than the burglar who originally stole the weapons.
The whole "holding as evidence" excuse is just that: an excuse. Photographs and serial numbers would be just as condemning during a trial- completely sufficient as long as the records were destroyed immediately after the trial. There is no reason to leave the information in the wrong hands where it can be abused.
When a theft occurs, justice demands that the victim be returned to his "pre-violation" condition. This means his guns in his house and no record of what he owns in the computers of the police department. Will there be justice?
