Oct 31, 2008 10:55 pm US/Central
I-TEAM: Fake Guns Used In Real Crimes
(WCCO)
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"This is my duty weapon," said Palmer as he pointed to the closer pistol.
CBS
In just the past week, police caught a teenage boy trying to hide a gun near a Twin Cities high school. Thankfully, that weapon was a fake.
Police want to seize phony guns used in real crimes before anybody else gets hurt.
"They are very, very similar. It's designed to look almost exactly the same, right down to the rail to mount the weapon light on," said Sergeant Bill Palmer with the Minneapolis Police Department.
Minneapolis police have confiscated several fake weapons during the past several months, often used in violent crimes.
A teenager was shot last spring when he pointed a fake gun at two officers. Situations like that are part of why the city passed an ordinance last October to make it illegal to have a fake gun in a public place.
"A lot of our work is being done at night. You just can't tell in the dark," said Palmer.
In the year since the law took effect, a lot of criminals have been caught carrying the replicas.
Juveniles make up the biggest group carrying fake guns. A 13-year-old was caught with a replica while he rode his bike.
The supervisor of the police juvenile unit says many kids may not realize the consequences of running around with fake guns.
"There is no legitimate reason. The kids get these guns and they stick them in their waistband to be cool or they have them in their waistband because they are going to threaten somebody or they want to scare somebody," said Lieutenant Bryan Schafer from the Juvenile Unit.
An analysis by the MPD also found most of the toy guns are being used in the highest crime areas. A color-coded map shows more than 180 incidents reported so far this year. They include 21 robberies and 10 serious assaults.
The analysis also shows Minneapolis police have made 50 arrests in 2008 under the new fake gun ordinance and seized more than 80 replica guns.
On the street, officers have to make split-second decisions on whether to use their weapons. There's no time to find out first if the gun they face is real or fake.
"I certainly don't want to be the officer who shoots that young teenager with one of these (fakes) because you thought you were about to get shot yourself, and have it turn out to be one of these (real)," said Palmer.
Replicas in Minneapolis have to be kept in a case, and locked in the trunk if you have one in your car. St. Paul has an ordinance on fake guns, as well.
Minneapolis Police: Hotspots Of Replica Guns Used In CrimesMinneapolis Police: Hotspots Of Replica Guns SeizedMinneapolis Police: Statistical Crime And Analysis Summary
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