The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is enacting a new program that allows responsible gun owners to help law enforcement combat firearm related crime.
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“For the past few years, we’ve seen that the majority of guns that are stolen are from cars that are unlocked,” Sgt. Sergio Uribe, with OCSO, said.
Criminals are continuing to take advantage of the 100% preventable crime.
OCSO reports in 2021 and 2022 nearly 350 guns were stolen from a vehicle each year.
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Now the agency is pushing for help from the community with voluntary participation in Operation Save-A-Casing. OCSO is the first agency in Florida to use this program.
The initiative asks gun owners to keep two spent shell casings in an envelope labeled with the make, model, and serial number of the gun.
If that gun is reported lost or stolen, with owner’s permission, a deputy will collect the envelope and it will be sent to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network for testing.