Shotguns Stolen from Police Cars

(11/03/06 -- GARNER) (WTVD) -- Two police-issued shotguns are on the street stolen from inside two Garner police cars.

Sgt. Lorie Smith showed up Friday morning to pick up her cruiser from a business parking lot. She saw a busted window and immediate was concerned.

"I saw that my shotgun was missing and that alarmed me immediately," Smith said. "You never know if someone is lying in wait, waiting for me to come to work."

She discovered that another cruiser in the parking lot of an adjacent business had also been broken into. Its shotgun was also missing. The Garner Police Department is desperate to get its guns back and offering a $500 reward.

"I certainly don't want my weapon to be used in crime later where someone is injured or killed," Smith said.

Like many towns, Garner allows officers who live nearby to take cars home. If they live outside of town, they park at a local business and leave them overnight for added visibility.

The break-ins were not sophisticated. The thief simply threw a brick through the cruisers' windows. At least one of the shotguns was in a locked rack; the other was in the trunk.

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