Prohibited Possessor Photo

Photo courtesy of the LBPD.

The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) announced today that it recovered 55 prohibited guns and arrested 30 people in a prohibited possessor operation that began earlier this year in April and ended on September 31.

During the operation, created in September 2013 with funds provided by the city council, detectives analyzed the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS), which is an online database maintained by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) that cross-references persons who possess a gun and who, subsequent to possession of that gun, are legally prohibited from possession. According to the DOJ, about half of the people on the APPS list are prohibited gun possessors due to criminal history, about 30% are due to mental health status, and about 20% are due to active restraining orders.

Two LBPD detectives worked with the support of the Gang Unit to compare APPS with the list of gun owners registered through The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The operation involved the service of 10 search warrants, 86 probation searches and assistance with 42 DOJ searches.

Thirty people were arrested, including 26 for felonies and four for misdemeanors. The arrests were made on charges related to firearms, drugs, parole and probation violations, police said.

Also, 55 firearms were recovered, including 42 handguns, six assault rifles, four shotguns and three rifles.

Police are asking anyone who knows people in possession of a prohibited firearm to call the Long Beach Police Department Gang Enforcement Section at 562-570-7370. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.