Probe into Salinas police gun thefts finds no policy violations.

A three-week investigation into the theft of three Salinas police officer’s weapons, including Police Chief Kelly McMillin’s assault rifle, found that none of these officers were negligent when their guns were stolen from their unlocked vehicles.

Salinas City Attorney Chris Callihan said that neither McMillin nor the officers violated the police department’s policy, but rather that they are victims of a crime.

Callihan also said the policy is constantly being reviewed, but as of now, it appears there are no plans to amend it.

When asked if the thefts were likely to spark an change to the policy, Callihan said: “I can’t say more about that piece because it’s part of the investigation.”

In a press release Callihan added: “We are going to review existing policies and search for ways we might be able to reduce the chances of something like this happening again."

Currently, the policy states officers are allowed to store their weapons inside their vehicles as long as they are protected and secured. None of the three vehicles were locked, and therefore, none of the weapons were secured. And all weapons remain missing.

In McMillin’s case, the weapon was secured in a gun lock inside his unmarked police vehicle’s trunk, but the vehicle itself was unlocked. His assault rifle, along with several high-capacity magazines, were taken. His vehicle was one of many broken into that day.

When one of the two suspects linked to the theft was nabbed, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office was unable to charge the suspect with burglary because prosecutors did not believe they could prove beyond reasonable doubt the vehicle had been locked.

The second case occurred about a week later and it took place overnight outside the home of the officer. The thieves took his badge, uniform and weapon because his vehicle was unlocked, according to Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. John Thornburg.

The third case took place in May in the parking lot of a school in Salinas. This vehicle was also unlocked. Salinas Deputy Police Chief Dave Shaw said the officer “thought they hit the [lock button] and ran inside for a few minutes” then returned to the car to find their off-duty weapon, badge and ID card gone.

None of these weapons were secured in the vehicles, as SPD policy says. And none of these weapons, or any of the stolen items, have been recovered.

An outside agency, Ventura-based SINTRA group, was hired to conduct the investigation with the purpose of having an objective perspective into the incidents.

"I'm satisfied with the results of the investigation," Callihan says. "At the same time, we all understand and share the community's concern over the risks arising from these three incidents.”

Now that the investigation has concluded, Callihan says none of the officers will face any disciplinary action. During the investigation, none of the officers were placed on administrative leave, in keeping with standard procedure in such a situation.

After the thefts, McMillin announced his retirement after a 30-year law enforcement career. McMillin says his retirement is unrelated to these events.

City Manager Ray Corpuz has also said he wishes McMillin would have stayed longer.