Question about stolen firearms

[strakill]

I figured I'd start asking questions here on how to do this.

Back in 2015 my house was broken into and I had 2 handguns stolen.

Sheriffs came, did the report, the whole shebang.

I moved out of state in 2020 and all my contact info changed.

I also have lost all of the paper work with the report number and all that jazz.

If those firearms are ever recovered, how would I ever know or get them back?

I've made a call to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office about this but was told I need to get ahold of the Deputy assigned to my case.

Uh, OK how do I do that when I don't know who that is?

I realize the likelihood of the guns being recovered is slim to never going to happen but in the off chance, I'd like them back.

What is the proper channels I need to go through get my information to the proper people to make this a possibility?

[edgerly779]

Did you file insurance claim? You should be able to access case using your name and former address. You should have given cell number. Most people keep those for a long time.

[L-2]

By telephone, "SBSO" your identifying info, along with what you've said here regarding date-range and location of the burglary. Here's SBSO's phone number:
(805) 681-4100

Some research on SBSO's part should find the report number and any particulars. Whichever Detective is now assigned to the case (or become assigned) can take & verify your info and put an addendum into the report should they ever need to contact you.

Perhaps you could even get another copy of the report should want one.

[strakill]

Did you file insurance claim? You should be able to access case using your name and former address. You should have given cell number. Most people keep those for a long time.

The insurance co kicked me to the curb, Farmers, because I didn't specifically state in my renters policy the exact serial numbers of the weapons. I've looked in the emails and there is no copy of the report.

I did give a cell number as it's all I had. That changed 6 months after I moved because I needed a local area code. Had I thought much about it at the time we would have kept one of our two numbers.

Kind of shot myself in the foot with that one I guess.

I've been back through my emails looking for something but nada. We were contacted by a deputy when the report was ready but it came through as a blocked number.

[strakill]

By telephone, "SBSO" your identifying info, along with what you've said here regarding date-range and location of the burglary. Here's SBSO's phone number:
(805) 681-4100

Some research on SBSO's part should find the report number and any particulars. Whichever Detective is now assigned to the case (or become assigned) can take & verify your info and put an addendum into the report should they ever need to contact you.

Perhaps you could even get another copy of the report should want one.

I'll give that number a go, thanks.

[Rustlin’ Jack]

Once you are talking to a person at SBSO, it shouldn’t take more than two minutes to find the report, using your name and birthdate. Rather than dealing with a deputy, try to strike up a rapport with someone in the Records Division. Call in the morning (people aren’t so tired and cranky) and explain that you would like a copy of the report and to update your contact info in the automated records. A records worker should be able to do this as you speak. You will have to pay for the copy of the report. They might send you a request form to fill out, so they will need your new address anyway.

I wouldn’t bother trying to get anyone in patrol or detectives to do much on a cold (no leads) seven year old case.

Theoretically, if the guns are ever recovered, you should be contacted at your new address.

If no one will talk to you, try sending a registered letter to them and ask that the letter be attached to the original report as updated info. The letter should include as much as you can remember to allow them to easily make the letter part of the file.

[Lady Ruger]

The insurance co kicked me to the curb, Farmers, because I didn't specifically state in my renters policy the exact serial numbers of the weapons. I've looked in the emails and there is no copy of the report.

WOW I had a firearm stolen from a LOCKED vehicle and our insurance paid for it.
No serial number was listed on our policy.

[strakill]

WOW I had a firearm stolen from a LOCKED vehicle and our insurance paid for it.
No serial number was listed on our policy.

I wasn't even aware that it was a thing.

My guess it was Farmers just being anti gun and looking to not pay a claim.

More goes into how they screwed us. $5K worth of loss and they wanted to pay us $300

Instead of fighting over it and since our local agent tried to play Houdini I took to our local paper and news station to show the letters and emails.

Got a sizable donation made to a couple local gun clubs for safety training programs, made by the agents office. Enough to shut me up about it and move on.

Live and learn.

[Lady Ruger]

I wasn't even aware that it was a thing.

My guess it was Farmers just being anti gun and looking to not pay a claim.

More goes into how they screwed us. $5K worth of loss and they wanted to pay us $300

Instead of fighting over it and since our local agent tried to play Houdini I took to our local paper and news station to show the letters and emails.

Got a sizable donation made to a couple local gun clubs for safety training programs, made by the agents office. Enough to shut me up about it and move on.

Live and learn.

Our auto policy paid a small amount and our renters policy paid a pretty good chunk for my purse, phone, firearm and purse contents.

[strakill]

Our auto policy paid a small amount and our renters policy paid a pretty good chunk for my purse, phone, firearm and purse contents.

That's good to hear.

I now carry supplemental insurance through the NRA in addition to my homeowners insurance.

[Spaffo]

Eastern Insurance. No serials necessary until a claim is made.

[Mojave8899]

The insurance co kicked me to the curb, Farmers, because I didn't specifically state in my renters policy the exact serial numbers of the weapons. I've looked in the emails and there is no copy of the report.

Couldnt you contact the CA DOJ and get those serial numbers from the recorded DROS?

I would call CA DOJ and get those serial numbers/DROS now so you can prove the firearms are yours once they are (hopefully) recovered.

[RickD427]

By telephone, "SBSO" your identifying info, along with what you've said here regarding date-range and location of the burglary. Here's SBSO's phone number:
(805) 681-4100

Some research on SBSO's part should find the report number and any particulars. Whichever Detective is now assigned to the case (or become assigned) can take & verify your info and put an addendum into the report should they ever need to contact you.

Perhaps you could even get another copy of the report should want one.

I'll second this recommendation.

It sounds like you might have been "blown off" in your original call to SBSO. Their records system should be robust enough for them to locate the report. After this much passage of time, I doubt that the case remains assigned to any detective.

If you provided the serial numbers to the reporting deputy, those would have been entered into both the federal NCIC and state AFS systems. Those entries remain permanent, they are not routinely purged. Both entries are linked to the original SBSO report. If you do not currently possess the serial numbers, a simple AFS check using your name should produce them, and then the NCIC system could be queried.

Crime like this, with the passage of this much time, do not get solved by active investigation. They get solved when the stolen firearms come to the attention of law enforcement, and a records check reveals them as stolen. Any such notifications get returned to the reporting agency. It's important to keep SBSO informed of your current address.

If you were not able to supply serial numbers to the reporting deputy, then it's pretty much a dead issue now. Most agencies destroy reports at around five years, if there is no basis for a longer retention (like a NCIC or AFS entry). Without a method of tracing a firearm, even your stolen weapons were recovered by a law enforcement agency, there would be no ability to trace them back to you.

[strakill]

I'll second this recommendation.

It sounds like you might have been "blown off" in your original call to SBSO. Their records system should be robust enough for them to locate the report. After this much passage of time, I doubt that the case remains assigned to any detective.

If you provided the serial numbers to the reporting deputy, those would have been entered into both the federal NCIC and state AFS systems. Those entries remain permanent, they are not routinely purged. Both entries are linked to the original SBSO report. If you do not currently possess the serial numbers, a simple AFS check using your name should produce them, and then the NCIC system could be queried.

Crime like this, with the passage of this much time, do not get solved by active investigation. They get solved when the stolen firearms come to the attention of law enforcement, and a records check reveals them as stolen. Any such notifications get returned to the reporting agency. It's important to keep SBSO informed of your current address.

If you were not able to supply serial numbers to the reporting deputy, then it's pretty much a dead issue now. Most agencies destroy reports at around five years, if there is no basis for a longer retention (like a NCIC or AFS entry). Without a method of tracing a firearm, even your stolen weapons were recovered by a law enforcement agency, there would be no ability to trace them back to you.

I did give them the serial numbers as I keep a log of all firearms I own. I actually gave the Deputies a picture of the firearms, a picture of the serial numbers on the firearms, as well as a printed list of make, model, serial numbers, as well as the accessories that were on the pistols, and the number of magazines that were taken, as well as a picture of the mags with my last name engraved into the bodies.

Come to think of it, they took the lock boxes that were smashed open as well.

Now that I think about it, I still do have a record of the serial numbers stored in the cloud as well as an evidence tag for the Glock when it was taken as evidence in an investigation during a self defense situation. I did retain that paperwork when it was released back to me.

I'll give the SBSO another try after the holidays.

Thanks everyone, hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years.

[strakill]

By telephone, "SBSO" your identifying info, along with what you've said here regarding date-range and location of the burglary. Here's SBSO's phone number:
(805) 681-4100

Some research on SBSO's part should find the report number and any particulars. Whichever Detective is now assigned to the case (or become assigned) can take & verify your info and put an addendum into the report should they ever need to contact you.

Perhaps you could even get another copy of the report should want one.

Just wanted to say thank you for the phone number.

I called and got transferred to records, they informed the Deputy assigned to the case, he called me, and got my information updated.

Done deal, thanks again.