OGDEN — The Ogden City Police Department is requesting authorization to make good use of the high-end firearms that so rarely come into its custody.

If approved by the City Council, the request would allow OPD to appropriate the property, which in turn would be sold by Hy & Mike’s Pawn, with a percentage of proceeds going to the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force.

Ogden City Chief of Police Eric Young said the department occasionally comes into the possession of collector-type firearms averaging over $1,000 in value.

As police chief, Young said he generally believes firearms received by OPD by way of a crime should not be release back into the community. However, he told City Council members it would be a shame to crush the few profitable firearms when the proceeds could benefit the strike force in battling drug trafficking.

Fixed funding for the strike force comes from shared federal money for Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana.

According to Young, nearly all of the firearms obtained by OPD are “garbage guns” worth $50 or less. These types of firearms are trashed, unsafe to use, and are oftentimes missing a serial number in an attempt to make them untraceable.

Under the state Forfeiture and Disposition of Property Act, law enforcement agencies are allowed to dispose of property obtained during the course of agency work so long as certain conditions are met.

Young said the police department has numerous procedural steps it must follow to locate owners of firearms in their custody beginning with a serial number check through the National Crime Information Center.

Firearms that have not been reported stolen or pursued for claim are deemed surrendered and property of OPD. Those looking to claim a firearm in OPD custody have three months from the receipt of notice to do so.

Confiscated or unclaimed firearms may be sold to a federally licensed firearms dealer, with proceeds from the sale benefiting public interest use. Public interest use as defined by Ogden Municipal Code includes use by a governmental agency or donation to a “bona fide charity.”

By state code, OPD has authority to destroy confiscated or unclaimed firearms determined to be unfit for sale and/or associated with a notorious crime.

Bloom Recyclers in Ogden has entered into a mutual agreement with OPD to destroy most of the firearms in its custody.

“They would get the scrap material, and we would get our guns disposed of,” Young said.

Bloom is required to send OPD confirmation of their destruction.

OPD is disposing of unclaimed and seized firearms no longer needed for evidence, in accordance with Utah State Code, as well as freeing up inventory to allow for storage space for incoming items.

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