A recent audit has uncovered alarming gaps in the Dallas City Marshal’s Office inventory system, raising concerns about the handling and tracking of firearms and ammunition.
The City Auditor’s Office revealed issues ranging from inconsistent inventory practices to broken security lockers that could have exposed firearms to theft or misuse.
The findings come after a growing controversy sparked by an internal memo that disclosed more guns were unaccounted for than previously reported, according to KERA News.
What caused the misunderstanding? According to a city spokesperson, it was due to clerical mistakes.
According to the audit, discrepancies in serial numbers and inconsistent inventory counts led to the identification of 13 unaccounted-for firearms. However, after further clarification, they accounted for eight, bringing the number in question down to five.
A city spokesperson indicated to KERA that three of the weapons had been located. Additionally, six other serial numbers had “typographical errors,” and those weapons were listed in the “inventory under their correct serial numbers.”
Some of these unaccounted-for guns may have been used by officers working security at city buildings and special events. City officials have publicly stated that none of the missing weapons were involved in any criminal activity since their disappearance.
The audit revealed a lack of consistency in the Marshal’s Office inventory practices.
Despite having procedures in place for firearm organization and storage, those standards were not always followed during the audit period. The audit also uncovered that the office’s firearms, including outdated and “obsolete” weapons, were not disposed of in a timely manner, leading to over 100 firearms remaining in the Marshal’s safes, some of which are no longer in use.
One of the audit’s most critical findings is that firearms were not regularly inventoried.
Mandated annual or semi-annual checks were either not performed or were poorly documented, a practice that contributed to several guns going missing or being improperly tracked.
The audit also noted that while the Marshal’s Office had some “controls” in place, security measures surrounding the firearms storage and locker areas were not up to par.
Photos supplied within the audit showed problems with broken lockers intended to store guns when officers entered the jail.
The review found that, at one facility, nearly 25% of all firearm storage lockers were broken.
David Pughes, Assistant Director of the Dallas Marshal’s Office, has acknowledged the department’s shortcomings but says improvements have been made since the audit began, according to KERA. The improvements allegedly include more frequently documented inventory counts and the use of a new photo book to track firearm locations. The Marshal’s Office has also taken steps to repair broken gun storage lockers.
Despite the proposed, or newly implemented improvements, some city leaders are demanding more thorough checks and changes in the office’s practices. District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn has called for a complete review of the Marshal’s Office gun management system, per KERA.
As of the time of publication, the Dallas City Marshal’s office has not responded to The Dallas Express for comment regarding the potentially missing weapons or clerical errors shown in the city audit.