An M16 fully-automatic assault rifle has disappeared from a locked–and alarm protected–storeroom in a Philadelphia police training facility, the city’s police commissioner said at a press conference Monday.
Only a few cops have access to the security code for the room, Philly Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said, according to NBC10 in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Police obtained the rifle through the Department of Defense’s 1033 Excess Property Program, officials say. The program allows the federal government to transfer property they no longer need to local law enforcement agencies for free.
The Department of Defense stopped giving away weapons through the program last May after a moratorium was issued. The moratoriam remains in effect pending a full weapon inventory.
“We’re cross-training some of our officers for active shooter training,” Ramsey said. “That’s why we have these types of weapons to supplement what our SWAT Team can do.”
