SOP_NUMBER: 401.13 TITLE: Retention of Department Issued Weapons DIVISION: Executive Division (Office of Professional Development, Care and Custody) TOPIC_AREA: 401 Policy-OPD, Care and Custody EFFECTIVE_DATE: 2019-11-25 WORD_COUNT: 806 POWERDMS_URL: https://public.powerdms.com/GADOC/documents/441903 URL: https://gps.press/sop-data/401.13/ SUMMARY: This policy allows Georgia Department of Corrections employees who leave service under honorable conditions to retain their department-issued pistol or revolver if they have accumulated 20 or more years of service as a certified officer. The employee must submit a request form that is routed through Care and Custody, Human Resources, their Division Director, and the Commissioner for approval. Approved employees receive only the weapon, storage box, and two magazines—no ammunition or holster. KEY_TOPICS: weapon retention, departing employees, retirement, resignation, certified officers, 20 years service, honorable discharge, department-issued weapon, pistol, revolver, employee compensation, Peace Officer Standards and Training, POST certification ATTACHMENTS: 1. GDC Employee Weapon Retention Request_Approval Routing Form URL: https://gps.press/sop-data/401.13-att-1/ ======================================================================== FULL TEXT: ======================================================================== |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.