time for another cop question

[Alpo]

I do something stupid and walk out in front of a bus.

 

Well they're trying to decide whether I need to go to the hospital or the morgue, they find I'm carrying a gun.

 

Would they routinely run ballistics on my gun?

 

That happened on TV show and when they ran ballistics on his gun they found it matched up with three unsolved homicides. Oh my God. They got a murderer.

 

TV.

 

Television makes it seem like every time cops get their hands on a gun they run ballistics. Just like every time somebody dies they do an autopsy.

 

But in real life? Would they? Or would they just give it back to my family along with my wallet and my watch and whatever else that didn't get destroyed by the bus?

[Matthew Duncan]

Did they have a court order to run the ballistics?

[Rye Miles #13621]

I believe as long as the gun was not used in a crime they wouldn’t run a ballistics test. A good friend of mine worked in ballistics and forensics as a Cleveland policeman. He only ran a test on a gun that was used in a crime whether they fired it or not. He would then have to testify in court as to whether the gun was operable or not.

Edited March 18 by Rye Miles #13621

[John Kloehr]

I don't think so. Not just from getting hit by a bus.

 

If it then turned out the ID did not match the person, then maybe DNA in an attempt to identify the body (assuming killed by the bus).

 

And then if DNA showed it was someone wanted for violent crimes. Then maybe ballistics. Chain of evidence and where the evidence leads.

 

But even in New York City, I don't think the police would run ballistics on my gun just because one of their city busses killed me.  Though I would have to have a carry permit with the serial number listed on it for any chance of my next of kin to recover it.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

Unless the gun was suspected of being connected to a crime, they would just put it in the evidence room for the owner or next of kin.  We didn't routinely run ballistics on every gun we recovered.  The crime lab didn't have the manpower to do that kind of volume.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

They never found that body you buried in a nearby state and connected it to you so they wouldn’t have any reason to suspect that you were anything but the angel you pretend to be. No reason to test your weapon,

[watab kid]

based on cost and backload of evidence in the system , unless they had reason to suspect i doubt it , 

[Alpo]

12 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

The crime lab didn't have the manpower to do that kind of volume.

That's one of the things I was thinking about. Also this had happened the previous afternoon and it was morning and they already had the ballistics back. Frequently on cop shows they have people waiting weeks for ballistics. That seemed kind of quick.

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

time warp ? 

[Sheriff Dill]

If they ran the firearm to check if it was stolen and it came back as a match for something then they would go from there. 

[Black Angus McPherson]

1 hour ago, Sheriff Dill said:

If they ran the firearm to check if it was stolen and it came back as a match for something then they would go from there. 

 

This.  Except I'd remove the "If they ran the firearm..."  If the injured person had a firearm I'd be surprised if the PD did not run the serial number for theft before putting it in evidence pending claim, or releasing it to family.  If the person was unconscious or dead I wouldn't expect it to be released to anyone without proof of ownership.  In any case I don't see any way it's going to the hospital (or morgue) with them.  In the event the victim is conscious and tells the cop on the scene to give the gun to whoever happens to be with him, at the very least the cop will note the particulars on the firearm for his report first.  Then, after checking the gun for theft, and probably a record check on the person they want the firearm released to, they might let your buddy take possession of the gun.

 

If the gun made it into evidence I don't think it's unheard of to run it for ballistics.   If it goes unclaimed it would certainly get checked before it is disposed of.  Either by the fiery furnace, gun eater, or auction.  If a firearm is "found property" like laying in the middle of the street (it happens), in a car (that's not mine.  I've never seen it before in my life.  I don't own a gun), in a front yard or wherever, it's going to get checked.

 

Angus

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

No, not without PC.

[Cyrus Cassidy #45437]

Everything depends on the evidence known at the time.  From your brief description, no.