SF Cops Say They're Outgunned

Aug. 23 - KGO (KGO) -- More firearms seizures so far this year, and more powerful weapons seized. That's what San Francisco police are telling ABC7 -- that the cops on the streets are outgunned.

From January to July, San Francisco police officers have seized 620 firearms. They're averaging 100 weapons a month. They're weapons that could have been used in shootings around the city. Most disturbing is that many of them are assault weapons.

This is Bayview Station's shooting gallery, pictures of firearms seized this year. Eleven were confiscated just last week. Next to them, the pictures of the shooting victims.

Many were shot with what police call, "a neighborhood gun" -- a firearm shared by a group of people.

Morris Tabak, Deputy Chief: "They will secrete it either in a vacant building, sometimes in a vacant vehicle, sometimes in the bushes."

An AK-47 was found hidden under a baby crib's mattress.

Of the 620 firearms seized in the past seven months, almost half came from neighborhoods which police call hot zones -- areas with high crime rates: 100 guns from the Western Addition, 50 from the Mission, 80 from Bayview and 60 from the Ingleside District.

Especially disturbing is that about five percent of the firearms seized are assault type weapons.

Morris Tabak: "These are what could be described only as anti-personnel weapons."

Mac-9s, Mac-10s, AK-47s and some models not even familiar to many cops.

Deputy Chief Morris Tabak showed ABC7 some of the assault weapons. They included a 22-caliber firearm -- modified to hold 100 rounds, a powerful BFG-50 caliber assault weapon and even a Russian made assault rifle. There were also the popular Mac-9s which are small, easy to conceal and can fire 25 to 30 rounds per magazine.

Gary Delagnes, Police Officers Assn. President: "Just about every crook you run into out there is a drug dealer or a gang banger's got one of these weapons. And it's putting our officers' lives at risk."

One TEC-9 belonged to a 22-year-old drug dealer who kept getting probation, and was even sent to drug court which is intended not for sellers, but for addicts. Even after his arrest with the firearm, the weapons case was discharged. He was given more probation, but no jail time.

The standard issue for an SFPD officer is a 40-caliber pistol which holds 12 to 13 rounds per magazine. Police say they're outgunned. The Police Association wants officers to have AR-15s in their cars -- that's the civilian version of the military M-16 rifle.

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