Public Inquiry For FLD (Citizen)

[Randy Lee]

1. CONTACT INFORMATION

• Full Name: Sergeant Randy Lee
  Phone Number: Redacted
  E-Mail Address: [email protected]
  Position in Institution (If Applicable): Sergeant

2. REQUEST INFORMATION

• Detailed information of your request:
  • Good Afternoon FLD Command
    
    I recently have seen a chance in policy with a firearm change form and I had some questions about that.
    
    1. Why implement a $2,500 fee to change the firearm your are licensed for?
    
    2. $2,500 might be out of someone’s price range, is there a program to help citizens who can’t afford such a fee
    
    3. I see PD Employees have a different and NON public way to request the change. Is there a reason why PD changes are now confidential?
    
    
    I appreciate your timely response!

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department FIREARMS LICENSING DIVISION "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

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• Mr. Lee,
  
  The fee is to cover the administrative costs of processing the firearm license and also, to discourage that that would exploit the firearms licensing system for their own personal gain by selling off legally owned firearms.
  
  As for the $2,500 being out of someone's price range, if you cannot afford that fee, then you definitely won't be able to afford the gun that goes with it. I'd suggest consulting the local job board or getting a job with one of our government-run departments. Our Recruitment for the LSPD is almost always open.
  
  The LSPD section of the firearm changes is private but the rules and regulations are exact the same, as is the fee that is requested beyond two changes in 90 days and additionally, the LSPD requests cannot be handled by the same individual for transparency. The reason for the privatisation is simply that we don't cause a backlog of requests in addition to our Non-Criminal and Criminal Firearm License Applications. We can handle civilian requests first and foremost, then the LSPD requests second.
  
  If the San Andreas State Government has concerns about this, they are welcome to contact me via email.

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• Sincerely,
  Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala
  Bureau Commanding Officer, Administrative Services Bureau
  Los Santos Police Department

[Randy Lee]

Quick follow up

The sudden change to the transparency to the PD changes seems a little coincidental with PD sudden influx of Officers stolen firearms.

Is the LSPD trying to save face and hide their officers mishandling of personal firearms?

Thanks for your timely response

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department FIREARMS LICENSING DIVISION "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

---

• Mr. Lee,
  
  It might seem coincidental because it is simply a coincidence. I would not call a couple of stolen firearms an influx, any more than I would call a few robberies a crime wave. Such comments are sensationalist and off the mark.
  
  If you read the format enough to make an inquiry about it, then you will know that the person has to be in possession of the firearm to surrender it and switch to a different firearm. If they were to lose or have their firearm stolen, then they would have to file a different request. A request which is public.

---

• Sincerely,
  Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala
  Bureau Commanding Officer, Administrative Services Bureau
  Los Santos Police Department

[Randy Lee]

I appreciate all the information!

Now, I just can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t adding up here. A brave man once said “ I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidences”

What PUBLIC facing safeguards are there to prevent rampant corruption within the FLD?

After some light digging, it seems that SD/PD currently counts for half of the open missing firearms cases

[Nathaniel Ford]

Weazel Entertainment News Network Re: Public Inquiry For FLD (Citizen) "Reporting The Right News - EST. 2005"

---

• Hello Everyone!
  
  Apologies for my interruption in this inquiry but I would also like to ask a question regarding this subject. I have already had a inquiry about this and I am very thrilled to see it isn’t just me who is acknowledging this. As I come to the end of my report regarding the stolen firearms I would like to ask a question to Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala.
  
  • Are the officers, detectives, and commanders getting any disciplinary actions towards them? For example, written warning, suspension, etc.? As improperly storing their firearms is a clear violation of the FLD procedures.
  I also have reports stating some of the officers personal vehicles were unlocked allowing easy access to their gloveboxes. Is this still and ongoing investigation within the DB or are you pushing it under the rug hoping the public would forget about it?

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• Kind regards,
  Nathaniel Ford - Junior Journalist
  Weazel News

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department FIREARMS LICENSING DIVISION "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

---

• Mr. Lee,
  
  You can either choose to take the answers to your questions at face value or not, it makes little difference to what is a fair and balanced process. The LSPD has no personal gain out of Firearms Licensing. The fees that are paid, go to the Government. The same government that pays your wages and mine.
  
  The Governors of San Andreas have access to all our information, as they are the ultimate authority in the State. But beyond that, the public has access to our suspensions and terminations. The LSPD does not tolerate corruption, in any form and as you will have seen from our public records, in the very few instances where individual officers have taken liberties and betrayed the badge, they have been fired.
  
  But, if you really want to break it down, there is simply nothing to be gained from any sort of corruption in Firearms Licensing. No Officer sees the license fee, the change fee or gets any money from the purchase of any firearm. They cannot use another person's license to buy a firearm either.
  
  It's regrettable that there have been an increase in thefts of firearms from police vehicles recently but ask yourself, where is the largest collection of vehicles besides the empty vehicles for sale at Low and High End in the entire state? In and around Mission Row. More vehicles means more opportunity.
  
  These requests are viewable to the entire department, an entire department of loyal police officers like myself whose only focus is protecting and serving our community to the best of our abilities. There's nothing more to say than that.
  
  If the time comes where an Officer lets themselves and this department down in this manner, it will be public knowledge. Rest assured of that.

---

• Sincerely,
  Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala
  Bureau Commanding Officer, Administrative Services Bureau
  Los Santos Police Department

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department FIREARMS LICENSING DIVISION "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

---

• Mr. Ford,
  
  I will not be offering any comment on specific cases as internal disciplinaries are just that, internal. Anything that is not a suspension, demotion or termination is not public knowledge and does not need to be.
  
  What I will say is that all of these requests, regardless of where a person is employed, are reviewed by our team for any signs of suspicious behaviour. The reality is, even the most careful of individuals, civilian or otherwise, can find themselves on the wrong end of an auto theft or personal robbery. We do the most with the resources available to us to combat this, but we cannot be everywhere at once and expecting that is an unrealistic expectation.
  
  I will say that no action has been taken against any of the individuals who have recently filed that their firearm was missing or stolen, regardless of their place of employment but that is not to say that further instances of stolen/lost firearms would not be re-reviewed or that individuals will escape punishment in the future. These are always a case-by-case basis and we can only go on the facts.
  
  Unfortunately, Weazel News are once against resorting to sensationalist gutter journalism and leading questions that serves no purpose other than to drive a wedge between the LSPD and the community or to sell newspapers and attempt to justify your existence as anything more than a glorified advert company.
  
  If there is any instance where someone has failed to follow the firearm regulations, cop or otherwise, they will be dealt with accordingly.

---

• Sincerely,
  Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala
  Bureau Commanding Officer, Administrative Services Bureau
  Los Santos Police Department

[Randy Lee]

I will say that no action has been taken against any of the individuals who have recently filed that their firearm was missing or stolen

I mean, I’m not an expert, but not holding your own officers accountable for their blatant violations of the firearms handbook sounds like corruption to me.

These guns are on the street, hurting innocent people, and putting brave men and women of DOC lives at stake.

[Nathaniel Ford]

Weazel Entertainment News Network Re: Public Inquiry For FLD (Citizen) "Reporting The Right News - EST. 2005"

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• Deputy Chief Bala,
  
  Thank you for your very kind words about Weazel News!
  
  Your response has raised concerns. You mentioned “If there is any instance where someone has failed to follow the firearm regulations, cop or otherwise, they will be dealt with accordingly.”
  
  Currently they have already violated the firearm regulations by leaving their personal weapons in a place accessible to the public. On top of that my source shows that multiple of the vehicles where firearms were stolen were unlocked. Leaving a firearm in an area where ANYONE in the public can walk in freely and take is a clear violation of the firearm regulations.
  
  On another note my source then again informed me that, they have the intent to harm the public and police force with these weapons. If any crime is committed using these stolen weapons would the officers face any charges?

---

• Kind regards,
  Nathaniel Ford - Junior Journalist
  Weazel News

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department FIREARMS LICENSING DIVISION "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

---

• Mr. Lee,
  
  You are quite right, you are not an expert. But with over four years on the job at this point, I happen to be. If I myself, the LSPD Command Team or the Firearms Licensing Division feel that a disciplinary needs to be issued then it will be issued. If it does not, then it will not. I don't come to your place of work and tell you how to do your job, please don't assume to make public inquiries and assume to tell me how to do mine in the responses.
  
  Gun violence is an unfortunate reality in the State of San Andreas that we all live with but we do what we can to combat and address it, including initiatives such as adding the fee that you originally queried about. I'd imagine we in the LSPD spend more of our time getting shot at than you do inside your prison. Frankly, recently I've worried more about DOC employees on the street with weapons than some of these criminals.
  
  We do not give LSPD employees preferential treatment in the processing of these requests and judge everyone's firearm safety by the same standard. If someone, an LSPD employee or otherwise, is negligent with their firearm, they will be dealt with.
  
  Thank you very much for your inquiries but we won't be addressing this any further.

---

• Sincerely,
  Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala
  Bureau Commanding Officer, Administrative Services Bureau
  Los Santos Police Department

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department FIREARMS LICENSING DIVISION "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

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• Mr. Ford,
  
  Contrary to your ill informed opinion of what is a sufficient level of security for a firearm, Officers placing their firearms inside their locked vehicles at a Police Station is a satisfactory level of security for me as the foremost authority on the Licensing of Firearms in the State.
  
  Suggesting that they are freely walking in and picking up weapons like it's some sort of all-you-can-steal buffet is frankly, ridiculous. In fact, I'd argue that putting your firearm inside a locked vehicle at Mission Row is actually safer than keeping it inside your personal residence. There are people at Mission Row for almost the entire day, where as a personal residence doesn't have such round the clock surveillance.
  
  Yes, there have been some thefts from vehicles at Mission Row but these are isolated incidents, not examples of systemic negligence of firearm safety or protocols. Again, we deal with facts only.
  
  That said, to address these incidents, to our own satisfaction and the publics, I am pleased to announce that Facilities Maintenance Section will be installing new security systems around Mission Row in the near future to prevent opportunistic criminals from trying to take advantage of any opening. Additionally, we will be issuing a guide through the Firearms Licensing Division and internally, on how our community can protect themselves and their vehicles against these kinds of crimes.
  
  As I told Mr. Lee, I do not have anything further to comment on the subject without repeating myself, so thank you very much for your inquiry.

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• Sincerely,
  Deputy Chief Dezzy Bala
  Bureau Commanding Officer, Administrative Services Bureau
  Los Santos Police Department

[Rija Luigi]

archived.