Indianapolis police department to stop selling its used guns following CBS News investigation

Candace Leslie says she'll never get over her son Cameron Brown's shooting death.  

But Leslie says the fact Cameron's story got out and prompted change within her city's police department means his death at least made a difference. 

In fact, in response to a CBS News investigation, Indianapolis Police Chief Christopher Bailey issued an administrative order directing his staff to stop selling any department-issued guns. 

"It just restores to me a little hope that they are hearing our voices as far as the people that are being affected by the choices the police department is making," Leslie said. 

Choices that resulted in more than 52,500 used officer service weapons being later recovered in connection with a crime somewhere in America over a 16-year time period, according to a CBS News Investigation along with the independent newsrooms The Trace and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. 

The team obtained crime gun trace data from the federal Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that shows from 2006 through February 2022, 52,529 former law enforcement service weapons were later connected to a crime somewhere in the United States. That's 3,245 different former police weapons found connected to crimes every year, or an average of nine a day. 

CBS News traced one of those used law enforcement weapons, a Glock pistol that was once the weapon of a sheriff's deputy in California, to Indianapolis two years after the department traded in the gun as part of a swap with a gun dealer for new officer weapons. Records traced by CBS News show that the used California sheriff deputy's weapon was connected to Cameron Brown's death. 

Cameron's grandmother, Maria, says the story of his death and that used police service weapon is prompting change.  

"The exposure that CBS News provided, your work is so important," Maria Leslie said. "His picture and his story is being heard all over the country. And our law enforcement agencies are reconsidering how they are disposing of their weapons. And that means a lot." 

Indianapolis community leader Reverend Charles Harrison applauded the police department's decision to stop selling guns and said he'll meet with the mayor and other city leaders to push them to make Chief Bailey's executive order official city policy. 

"We have a meeting scheduled with the mayor coming up soon," Harrison said. "We're going to let our feelings be known and try to get Mayor (Joe) Hogsett on board. And also Vop Osili, who is the president of the City-County Council. So, we're going to do our part to assist Chief Bailey in making sure that the city supports his decision as a chief to no longer sell old police guns." 

Indianapolis is not the only police department changing policy. 

After learning about CBS News' findings, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara issued an administrative order saying that from now on department policy will be "not to sell firearms owned by the department." 

"I don't want to sell any firearm back to an FFL (Federal Firearms License gun store)," said O'Hara. "I don't want us to be in a position where a weapon that was once in service for the police department here then winds up being used in a crime." 

CBS News has learned several other agencies and local leaders from California to Colorado are also considering changing their policies when it comes to selling or trading their old used police service weapons.   

In:
• Gun Violence
• Police Officers
• Guns

Stephen Stock

Stephen Stock is national investigative correspondent for CBS News and Stations, and is a member of CBS News and Stations' Crime and Public Safety Unit.