Updated Information About the Surplus Property Theft
As the Department of General Services works with the Virginia State Police and the investigation progresses we will continue to inform the citizens of the Commonwealth
Latest Updates
September 6, 2006
Click below for the latest information regarding the Surplus Property theft as published in the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Security tightened at state warehouses(9/6/2006)
Since thefts came to light, the storehouses no longer take guns.
August 24, 2006
Click below for the latest information regarding the Surplus Property theft as published in the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Last men in gun thefts sentenced (8/24/06)
One gets the longest term, the other the shortest for stealing revolvers from state surplus
June 30, 2006
Click below for the latest information regarding the Surplus Property theft as published in the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Brief terms in thefts of guns (06-30-2006)
Neither of two gets more than 15 months in Va. warehouse case
May 17, 2006
Click below for the news article in the Richmond Times Dispatch.
4 plead guilty to stealing Va. guns(05-17-2006)
March 24, 2006
Additional Controls, Increased Security, and Weapons Removed at Richmond Warehouse
It was unfortunate and deeply troubling that two employees would steal weapons from the Richmond Surplus Property Warehouse. We responded quickly to enhance safeguards to protect the public, our employees, and the property entrusted to our care. This included closing both the Richmond and Wytheville warehouses.
- Hired Innovative Logistics Techniques, Inc. (INNOLOG) to conduct a 100% federal and state surplus property inventory, assist with restructuring, and develop new operating procedures
- Instituted new operating policies and procedures for the interim
- Removed remaining firearms from the Richmond warehouse
- Discontinued the acceptance of surplus weapons from state agencies
- Conducted inventory of sensitive items
- Increased security
- Established a daily INNOLOG presence at the Richmond warehouse through completion of the contract
- Augmented and increased managerial review
- Canceled the April 1st public auction at the Richmond warehouse
After being closed for three weeks, the Richmond warehouse will reopen today. With additional operational controls, more stringent security measures, and with all firearms having been removed, we have aggressively taken the necessary actions to ensure the Richmond warehouse is ready to open. The following are the positive actions we have taken:
The at which we did not store weapons and whose employees were not connected to the theft, reopened on March 20th. Closing both the Richmond and Wytheville warehouses until the situation could appropriately be assessed, was the right thing to do. Wytheville Warehouse,
It is now time to get the Richmond Surplus Property warehouse open and fully operational. Our entire Surplus Property Program provides a valuable service to other state agencies, localities, organizations, non-profits and the general public. We will continue to move forward with rebuilding the program making it more efficient with stronger policies and procedures, while providing better service. We are steadfast in our resolve to do what is necessary to reestablish the program and we will continue to make improvements.
We continue to work with the Virginia State Police to identify and recover missing weapons, and as we have stated before, we will provide updates as programmatic changes are made.
We immediately closed both Richmond and Wytheville warehouses in responding to the weapons theft that occurred at the Richmond location. To appropriately assess the situation and safeguard our employees, the public, and the property entrusted to our care, it was the right thing to do.
During the ensuing days we evaluated warehouse operations and reviewed policies and procedures; and today the Wytheville warehouse is open for business. Weapons were not stored at this location and the Wytheville warehouse personnel were not connected to the theft that occurred in Richmond. However, we took the following actions to ensure the Wytheville warehouse was ready to open:
• Conducted 100% inventory of sensitive items in state surplus property
• Conducted 100% inventory of state surplus property on items with value of $35.00 or more
• Conducted 100% inventory of federal surplus property
• Instituted new operating policies and procedures
• Contacted customers to inform them of the new policies and procedures
We value the important role the Wytheville warehouse plays in the community and we have been committed to getting the warehouse open. It is our dedicated and loyal Wytheville employees and the work they do that have been and are essential to the past and future success of our Wytheville Surplus Property Program.
March 15, 2006
In fulfilling our commitment to the citizens of the Commonwealth and to our employees, the Department of General Services continues to assess the policies and procedures of the Surplus Property Program and its warehouse facilities.
After reporting the weapons theft on February 22nd to the Virginia State Police, we provided a list of the weapons and their serial numbers. Since that time and the subsequent arrests on March 3rd, we have been reviewing and evaluating our policies and procedures.
Our practice was to place property description tags on sensitive items and lock them in a limited access secure area. Through a DGS internal review and a preliminary assessment by an outside firm named Innovative Logistics Techniques, Inc. (INNOLOG), we have determined:
- a physical count of the sensitive items (weapons) was not regularly conducted
- a routine physical count of the non-sensitive items was not conducted
- a tracking system is in place for receipt and distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive items, but is not complete
This initial assessment is troubling and we are quickly taking the necessary actions to improve our overall operations. We have and are continuing to take steps to safeguard citizens and employees. Click here for information on actions taken February 22nd and March 3rd. We have also hired Innovative Logistics Techniques, Inc. (INNOLOG), headquartered in Mclean, Virginia. INNOLOG has partnered with numerous defense agencies, government agencies, and private companies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Special Operations Forces, Naval Supply Systems Command, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman, to name a few. INNOLOG will assist DGS to do the following:
- Conduct a complete physical inventory of stored assets in the Richmond and Wytheville surplus property warehouses
- Assess current operations, policies and procedures and develop new policies and procedures based on best practices for warehouse management
- Institute an automated system for State Surplus
- Provide training to personnel
We have determined improvements need to be made and we are committed to ensuring stronger safeguards are instituted and new policies and procedures are effectively implemented. We will continue to put information on our web site as we determine areas for improvement and make modifications.
March 7, 2006
The Department of General Services continues to cooperate with the Virginia State Police during this investigation. As the on-going investigation yields new information we will continue to immediately respond by assessing and implementing changes to our procedures and warehouse operations to ensure the safety of citizens and our employees.
Today we took the following actions:
• Implemented New Warehouse Security Systems
We will continue to assess warehouse security and make changes if needed.
• Instituted Safeguards for Current Warehouse Employees