Los Angeles Police Department has asked individuals who believe they lost a firearm to the Palisades fire to contact the department’s Gun Recovery Unit.
“Since January, LAPD officers have been working through the painstaking process of recovering and rendering approximately 500 firearms safe,” LAPD Chief of Detectives Alan Hamilton said in a statement. “We recognize that these firearms may hold significant sentimental value to their owners, whether as family heirlooms, historical pieces or personal mementos, and we are doing our best to reunite them with their owners.”
During debris removal, LAPD personnel—in collaboration with local agencies and recovery teams—reported findings of roughly 500 firearms. LAPD said many sustained “severe fire damage,” making them difficult to identify.
“Despite the condition of these recovered weapons, the department remains committed to ensuring that these items are properly processed, identified and, when appropriate, returned to their rightful owners,” according to a statement on April 30.
To begin the process, individuals will need to provide personal identifying information, such as proof of residential address and a description of the firearm. Individuals can also make a lost property report at any LAPD area Community Police Station or online at lapdonline.org.
—LILY TINOCO
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