Parkersburg Police Department receives $29K from auction of firearms

PARKERSBURG -- The firearms auction conducted last month by the West Virginia Treasurer's Office brought in $98,635 for 19 participating law enforcement agencies.

Nearly $30,000 of it came back to the Parkersburg Police Department.

The department submitted approximately 190 guns that would have otherwise been destroyed because they were outdated, unclaimed or seized in investigations.

The weapons included "every type of firearm, really," said Parkersburg Police Sgt. Kyle Barnette, who helped lead the effort to catalog the weapons. There were AR-15s, shotguns, revolvers, pistols and even a musket, circa 1863, seized in a drug investigation, he said.

The $29,208.38 they brought in was the highest amount for any entity participating in this year's live auction, said Treasurer of State Riley Moore, who delivered the check to members of the department Thursday at the Municipal Building.

Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board said the money goes into an asset forfeiture account the department puts toward "things that are a priority for us that we may not have funds for."

That yields a benefit beyond removing weapons from people who should not have them, he said.

"We're able to turn a negative into a positive," Board said.

Last year, the department received $30,342.76 from the auction. That money was put toward a new cruiser and equipment for it, Board said.

West Virginia's is the only state treasurer's office that allows for an auction process like this to benefit law enforcement, according to a release from Moore's office.

The program is growing in popularity, to the point that Moore wants to expand the auction to twice a year.

"The more participation you get, the better it is for everybody," he said.

The auction is not open to the general public. Bidders must be federal firearms license holders.

Moore said the process takes items that are no longer needed and benefits the law enforcement agencies. Gun dealers often participate, allowing them to refurbish and sell the weapons they purchase.

"It's a win-win," Moore said. "It's a great way to help fund the police."

Other local agencies earning money from this year's auction included the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force, the Parkersburg detachment of the West Virginia State Police and the Doddridge County Sheriff's Office. The amounts they received were not immediately available Thursday.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com