Santa Ana : New Weapons Approved for Police Department

The Police Department’s 10-year-old 9mm semiautomatic pistols will be traded in for new .38-caliber revolvers. Replacement parts are no longer available for the 9mm weapons, officials said.

The City Council approved a plan to obtain bids from gun dealers willing to accept the old Smith & Wesson pistols on a trade-in basis. Some of the department’s stock of about 300 weapons have experienced metal fatigue and cracking, Capt. Chuck Miller said, but added that most are in good working condition.

He said the .38-caliber models require less maintenance and the only drawback is that they hold only six rounds, compared to 15 in the older models. Miller added that some officers purchase and carry .45-caliber pistols and the department may also wish to retain a few of the older weapons in its armory.

“The purchase of new police duty weapons will eliminate weapon malfunction due to metal fatigue and wear and help ensure officer and community safety,” according to a report from Deputy City Manager Raymond C. Davis.

While approving the weapons plan on Monday night, the council also endorsed the eventual purchase of a 35-foot motor home that the department would use as a command and communications center at crime scenes and also for crime-prevention displays.

A 40-foot former bookmobile, built in 1961, is now used for such operations and is in a deteriorated condition, according to Davis. The motor home, which Davis said would not be equipped with standard items such as stoves, sinks, beds or tables, could be used at emergency scenes such as the terrorist bombing on 17th Street last October.