SOP 401.13: Retention of Department Issued Weapons

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|
|Policy Number: 401.13|Effective Date: 11/25/2019|Page Number: 1 of 3|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Executive Division (Office of
Professional Development,
Care and Custody)|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access
|

I. Introduction and Summary:

Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 42-2-16, an employee leaving the service of the Georgia
Department of Corrections (Department) under honorable conditions, who has
accumulated 20 or more years of service with the Department as a certified officer,
shall be entitled as part of such employee's compensation to retain his or her
Department issued weapon.

II. Authority:

O.C.G.A. § 42-2-16, Retaining Department Issued Weapons.

III. Definitions:

A. Leaving the Service of the Department - Leaving the service of the Department,

for the purposes of this SOP, means leaving the service of the Department under
honorable conditions through employee resignation, retirement, or transfer to
another state agency.

B. Department Issued Weapon - An employee’s “Department Issued Weapon” for

the purposes of this policy means a pistol or revolver which has been issued by
Care and Custody directly to a specific employee for that employee’s exclusive
use. Weapons issued by any other armory or facility shall not be retained by an
employee after leaving the service of the Department pursuant to this policy.
Additionally, no rifle, shotgun or long gun of any type will be transferred to an
employee pursuant to this policy.

IV. Statement of Policy and Applicable Procedures:

A. Weapon Retention:

1. Employees leaving the service of the Department under the following

conditions shall be entitled, as part of such employee’s compensation, to retain
his or her Department issued weapon:

a. The Employee must be leaving the service of the Department under

honorable conditions;

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|
|Policy Number: 401.13|Effective Date: 11/25/2019|Page Number: 2 of 3|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Executive Division (Office of
Professional Development,
Care and Custody)|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access
|

b. The Employee must have accumulated 20 or more years of service within

the Department; and

c. The Employee’s accumulated service of 20 or more years must be as a

certified officer.

2. Requests to retain a Department issued weapon shall be made using

Attachment 1, Employee Weapon Retention Request/Approval Routing Form.
The requesting employee will fill out the attachment then forward to Care and
Custody for verification of Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training
Council (P.O.S.T.) Certification. Care and Custody will then route the request
to Human Resources in order to verify the employee’s years of service to the
Department. Human Resources will forward the request to the departing
employee’s Division Director for approval. The Division Director will then
forward the request to the Commissioner for final approval. The completed
Weapons Retention Form shall be returned to Care and Custody, which will
retain the completed form.

3. Employees approved to retain their Department issued weapon shall only be

issued the weapon, an appropriate storage box, and two magazines (if
applicable). No ammunition or holster shall be issued.

4. Employees with more than one Department issued weapon may request

permission to retain a specific weapon. The Commissioner of Corrections will
evaluate the request and determine which weapon will be retained.

5. Employees who are no longer in a certified officer position but have

accumulated 20 or more years with the Department as a certified officer and
are leaving the Department under honorable conditions are eligible for
retention of their Department issued weapon, provided that they are still
specifically assigned a Department issued weapon.

6. All accumulated service, totaling 20 or more years, must be with the Georgia

Department of Corrections. No other service to the state government, federal
government or military service can be counted toward the 20 years of necessary
service with the Georgia Department of Corrections.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|Policy Name: Retention of Department Issued Weapons|
|Policy Number: 401.13|Effective Date: 11/25/2019|Page Number: 3 of 3|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Executive Division (Office of
Professional Development,
Care and Custody)|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access
|

7. Employees retaining their Department issued weapon are subject to all

applicable state and federal laws pertaining to gun ownership. The Department
of Corrections is not responsible for any use or maintenance of the weapon.

V. Attachments:

Attachment 1: GDC Employee Weapon Retention Request/Approval Routing Form

VI. Record Retention of Forms Relevant to this Policy:

Upon completion, Attachment 1 shall be maintained at Care and Custody offices,
indefinitely, and shall be destroyed only with the approval of the Academy Director.