Jan 19, 2008 7:23 am US/Eastern
N.J. Police Lose MP5 Submachine Gun
Residents Terrified Over Idea Of Deadly Weapon On Streets
Reporting
Jay Dow
WAYNE, N.J. (CBS) ―
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The Wayne Police Department has misplaced an MP5 submachine gun. Residents in the quiet New Jersey town are terrified, fearing the weapon could end up in the wrong hands.
CBS
A large police department in New Jersey is in nail biting mode. It has lost one of the deadliest weapons in its arsenal -- a fully automatic submachine gun, and has no idea where it could be.
A 9 mm submachine gun of German design, the MP5 was developed in the 1960s by a group of engineers from the West German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It's used by law enforcement tactical teams across the country, as well as Army Rangers, Delta Force and Navy SEALs, among others. It is a deadly, fully automatic weapon, which can fire up to several hundred rounds per minute.
The Wayne Police Department had three MP5 submachine guns. That is until last week, when one of them went missing.
"I'm scared to death, because they're protecting our community and so they should have control over that a little better," said Wayne resident Gina Okun.
Wayne Police Capt. Paul Ireland was at a loss for words.
"It's very embarrassing," Ireland said. "This is a great police department. And unfortunately we can't find the location of it at this time."
Wayne police officials say the MP5 was used primarily as a training weapon, and only a certain number of officers had access to it.
The Wayne Police Department is frantically searching for the weapon.
Officials will not say who's on the access list, or if there are surveillance cameras in the room where the gun was stored to help determine who signed it out last.
"I hope they find it, before someone else do," said Wayne resident Fuquan Muslim.
The Passaic County prosecutor's office is also investigating.
The obvious concern is what could happen if such a dangerous weapon -- which is not available for sale to the public -- were to end up in the wrong hands.
"We in fact have weapons of this nature," prosecutor James Avigliano said. "And there is an absolute close control and monitoring of these weapons. We don't know what went wrong in Wayne, and that's what's being looked at."
The Wayne Police Department and others hope the MP5 is still somewhere in the headquarters.
"It's probably in the police station," resident Joey Lamartino said. "This is a safe town."
The fear is what happens if it's not?
The Wayne Police Department has also registered the submachine gun with the Federal Law Enforcement Database, just in case it's no longer in the department's possession.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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