Police Firepower Being Reviewed in Wake of L.A. Shootout

An internal committee is doing an inventory of shotguns, handguns and other weapons now used by Garden Grove police officers as the city considers whether to upgrade the firepower of the force, Police Chief Stan Knee said.

Knee requested the weapons review after West Hollywood police found their standard weapons to be less powerful than those of two gun-toting bank robbers earlier this month.

Knee said the West Hollywood incident prompted him order the Training Committee to review all weapons now available to officers and make recommendations on potential changes.

Garden Grove’s officers are armed with 12-gauge shotguns in their vehicles and semiautomatic pistols as sidearms. Those weapons as well as products such as pepper spray will be researched by the 12-member committee.

“When police departments adopted shotguns, it was because most of the perpetrators we saw were armed with handguns like ours,” Knee said. “The shotguns gave us additional firepower. We have seen over the years that the weaponry owned by the criminals has changed.”

The Police Department has the support of many residents to increase its firepower.

At a City Council meeting this week, resident Bob Owens proposed that, in light of the West Hollywood shootout, officers protect themselves and the community by adding automatic weapons to their arsenal.

Knee would not speculate Tuesday on what changes are likely but said it is clear that criminals often have access “to weaponry more powerful than a 12-gauge shotgun.”

“This is one of those issues where the department looks at itself and tailors the changes to meet the department and its particular problems,” Knee said.