The City of Plymouth could soon have a formal policy in place to allow the transfer of service weapons to officers who retire from their police force.
The issue arose after longtime school resource officer Ted Brown’s recent retirement. The city was prepared to declare his weapon as surplus property and give it to him until the legality of doing so was questioned. City attorney Sean Surrisi has researched the matter. He says in 1992 Mayor Jack Greenlee declared when Police Chief Ronald Babcock retired that revolvers should remain with the department. That was the policy until Chief Tom Chamberlin retired in 2010 and a resolution was passed to allow him to buy his weapon. Surrisi advised the board has the authority to authorize or stop such sales.
Rather than do so on a case-by-case basis, the board of works and council agreed to codify the policy. The council passed a resolution to do so on first reading. The board of works also passed a resolution on first reading to declare Brown’s weapon as surplus so he can purchase it. A member of the audience suggested the officers be required to sign a pledge stating the weapons will remain in their families. That may be added later as an amendment.
