Another weapon, badge stolen from another Salinas Police officer.

They say bad things happen in threes.

Maybe nowhere is that more true right now than the Salinas Police Department, because for the third time in less than two months, a weapon has been stolen from the unlocked vehicle of a Salinas police officer.

The weapon, described as a handgun, was stolen along with the officer's badge on the morning of April 28. The theft happened in North Salinas as the officer dropped his or her child off at a local school.

"The officer was off duty and thought they hit the [lock button] and ran inside for a few minutes and came back out and found their off-duty weapon, badge and ID card gone," says Salinas Deputy Police Chief Dave Shaw. "We've had some viable leads and we've been trying to gather evidence and canvass the area.

"We don't know if the suspects were targeting the officer because they're an officer, or if they were targeting that parking lot," Shaw adds. "We are not discounting the fact that it's possible officers are being targeted." 

It was the third in a string of embarrassing weapons-theft incidents for the department. Salinas City Attorney Chris Callihan says the city was in the process of hiring an outside investigator to examine the first two thefts, and it's likely the latest one will be wrapped into that investigation as well.

"We don't have this person under contract yet, but they are from outside the area and with experience in law enforcement," Callihan says. "We want to have an outside, objective look at our policies, so we want someone to take a look and determine it's completely objective."

The first incident occurred on March 26, when thieves stole a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle, a bullet-proof vest and several high-capacity magazines from a department-issued car belonging to Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin.

The rifle was secured in a gun lock in the trunk, but the vehicle itself was apparently unlocked.

It was one of several thefts of property from unlocked vehicles to happen that night in a neighborhood on the Highway 68 corridor.

Joseph Sutton, 28, was arrested and charged with grant theft and grand theft of a firearm in connection with the McMillin case. Sutton was also charged with possession of methamphetamine.

The weapon remains at large and Sutton remains in jail.

In the second theft, sometime between the evening of April 17 and the morning of April 18, a Salinas officer's handgun, uniform and badge were stolen out of his unlocked car in the Las Palmas area, also outside of Salinas.

Nobody has been arrested in that case and the weapon has not been found.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is investigating the McMillin incident and the second incident because they both happened in unincorporated area of the county.

In the third case, Shaw is leading an internal investigation of the theft. 

McMillin, a 32-year veteran of the department, had long been contemplating retirement; he announced at an April 29 press conference that he would leave his job in October.

During the press conference McMillin was asked if the department was going to change its policies regarding how officers secure their weapons when not on duty. 

According to the Salinas Police Department Policy Manual, it's not against the rules to store a weapon in a vehicle as long as the weapon and vehicle are properly secured and locked. 

"We have looked at the policies and we are examining whether they're worth changing. I think substantially they do fit our needs," McMillin says. "I'll tell you our policy is in a constant state of re-examination and re-evaluation…if we determine that there are changes that need to be made to that policy we will do that."

Shaw says that the department is taking steps to reinforce proper safety procedures for the storage of weapons while off duty, going over those procedures during daily briefings.