RGJ investigates: records not sent to gun database
A Washoe District Court audit found that it failed to send the names of 179 people in Northern Nevada found by a judge to be mentally ill to a database of people who are prohibited from possessing firearms, a Reno Gazette-Journal investigation has revealed.
That means those 179 prohibited people could have passed a background check if they tried to buy a gun, the RGJ found. The cases, missed because of a glitch in the court’s system, include cases from 2011 to the present, court clerk Joey Orduna Hastings said Monday. The audit is continuing on 2010 cases.
The court launched an audit of its system for flagging guardianship cases after the RGJ reported that a mentally ill man who bought a gun from a Reno police sergeant had not been included in the prohibited-person database overseen by the Department of Public Safety.
In that case, no background check was done because then-Sgt. Laura Conklin did not ask for one, and checks are not required in private party sales. Conklin was demoted to police officer last week and the case is under investigation.
“The court has addressed the matter and is submitting those reports to DPS,” Orduna Hastings said in an email. “The court has also refined its internal processes to ensure improved compliance on future cases. The court continues its commitment to maintain the public’s trust and confidence.”
full: http://www.rgj.com/article/20130805/NEWS/308050041/Washoe-court-audit-finds-179-records-not-sent-database-people-prohibited-from-having-guns
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