SF sheriff's deputy fired after dept. issued gun stolen from car
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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - A San Francisco sheriff's deputy whose department-issued gun was stolen from a parked rental car in Potrero Hill on Sunday has been fired, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.
The deputy had been with the department less than a year and was still on probationary status, according to spokeswoman Eileen Hirst.
Police said they responded to the auto burglary in the 200 block of San Bruno Avenue around 6:43 p.m. Sunday.
The stolen gun has not been recovered.
Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said Monday that a preliminary investigation indicated the firearm was stored in the trunk of a rental car in a manner that violated department policy.
The sheriff's department requires deputies to store weapons in vehicles in a metal or composite lockbox that is affixed to the interior of the vehicle and out of public view, Hennessy said.
Hennessy issued a memo on Monday reminding all deputies of the policy.
Hirst said the sheriff had already been planning to issue the reminder following reports that an Aug. 15 fatal shooting in the Mission District during a robbery involved a gun that had been stolen on Aug. 12 from a San Francisco police officer's car.
Guns stolen from the vehicles of federal agents were also used in two 2015 homicides in San Francisco and Oakland, including the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle at Pier 14 on July 1, 2015.
In response to those and other incidents, a state law was signed last year requiring that law enforcement officers store guns in a locked trunk or safe box if they are kept in a vehicle.
Civilians were already required to store their weapons securely but law enforcement had previously
been exempt.