AUSTIN, Texas — Dozens of state-owned weapons, from handheld pistols to assault rifles, used by Texas law enforcement officers have gone missing or been stolen since 2018, a KVUE Defenders investigation has found. In many instances, supervising officials found negligence on the part of officers the weapons were assigned to.
This revelation comes months after the KVUE Defenders revealed $32 million in state assets reported as missing or stolen to the state comptroller during the last five years. Missing state inventory data, obtained through an open records request, shows the items reported include everything from electronic devices and computers to golf carts, forklifts and tractors.
But a deeper analysis of the data revealed 45 guns have been lost or stolen from four law enforcement agencies:
- The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) reported missing three guns
- The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) reported losing track of five
- The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) reported seven lost by or stolen from state game wardens
- The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the largest agency by far, tops the list with 29 guns reported missing, most of them stolen
The types of guns range from 9mm and .357 caliber handguns to 12-gauge shotguns and even AR-15 type rifles.
In many instances, DPS officers were to blame for their guns being stolen. The KVUE Defenders found examples of what DPS officials said was "negligent" behavior. In fact, of the 29 instances of guns being lost or stolen since 2018, the agency deemed 17 involved negligence, records show.
“This is not a simple, ‘Oops.’ This is a child-like mistake,” said Austin attorney Jamal Alsaffar, who represented families of mass shooting victims after the 2017 Sutherland Springs shooting and the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.
“It shouldn’t even be in the conversation for a professionally trained law enforcement official – who we as citizens have said, 'We are giving you the right and responsibility to carry these firearms,'” Alsaffar added.
Here are some of the examples the KVUE Defenders uncovered through an open records request:
- In August of 2020, Johnny Butler, a DPS trooper in Harris County, left his patrol vehicle parked at home while on vacation. Records show when he returned, someone had rummaged through his vehicle. His DPS-issued AR-15 style rifle, along with his Remington 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition, were stolen. He claimed his vehicle was locked and his firearms secured, but the burglar found keys to his storage vault in the driver side door panel and opened the vault. Butler was found negligent, but it’s unclear if he was disciplined.
- In July 2022, Billy Castro, a DPS trooper in Goliad County found his patrol car had been broken into. He left his Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun and his AR-15 style rifle in the gun compartment “unsecured,” and both guns were “absent from the box.” Also missing were two 30-round magazines and shotgun ammunition. He was suspended for two days without pay.
- In November 2021, Michael McAnarney, an intelligence and counterterrorism lieutenant in Williamson County, discovered his Sig Sauer .357 pistol and badge missing from his home, which records show were accessible to family and friends who threw a party. He failed to report the stolen items for a week, claiming he was trying to see if he could recover the items before filing his report. He was disciplined with three-day unpaid suspension and six months probation.
- In June 2021, Robert Hernandez Jr., a DPS Special Agent working Operation Lone Star in Carrizo Springs, stopped at a Pilot travel center to use the bathroom. Documents show he left his Sig Sauer .357 pistol in the bathroom stall. He called the gas station, and the staff said it wasn't there. Hernandez was found negligent, but records don’t show if he was disciplined.
The KVUE Defenders examined whether any of the firearms were subsequently used in crimes – a task made difficult because that information is kept in federal databases that are not accessible to the public.
But DPS officials said in a statement: “The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) should be notified if any DPS-issued firearm is used in the commission of a crime or if its serial number is run by another law enforcement agency after the firearm is reported stolen. To our knowledge, we have not received any such notification.”
“Negligence may not be intentional, but it can have a ripple effect that can be a problem for our public safety,” Nicole Golden, executive director of Texas Gun Sense, said.
She said the missing and stolen guns underscores the need for everyone to safely secure their firearms, including law enforcement officers.
“We spread the message all the time that every adult is responsible for the safety of your firearm,” she said.