Assault rifle, SWAT gear reported stolen from MCSO employee's personal vehicle

Authorities are asking for any information the public may have about a reported break-in of a Marion County Sheriff's employee's personal vehicle and theft of SWAT gear including a semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle, rifle and pistol magazines with ammunition, a tactical vest and helmet and a portable police radio.

Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said in a statement that an off-duty employee discovered the break-in and theft in southeast Salem on Wednesday morning.

Sheriff spokesperson Sgt. Jeremy Landers on Wednesday told the Statesman Journal he did not have any other details including what the protocol is for how weapons and gear are supposed to be stored when officers are off duty, how the vehicle was broken into and where the vehicle was parked.

The Sheriff's Office provided a copy of office policies in response to a public records request from the Statesman Journal.

The firearms policy requires deputies to "secure office-issued firearms that are not under their immediate personal supervision in the armory or in a secure manner that restricts unauthorized access." It does not define "secure manner."

The Standards of Conduct require "proper use and care" of Sheriff's Office and county property. It does not further define what that means.

Landers said Salem Police are investigating since the incident occurred in Salem, and the sheriff's office will conduct an internal view of law enforcement procedures.

Salem Police spokesperson Angela Hedrick declined to provide specifics on the general location in southeast Salem, where the stolen equipment was in the vehicle, and if the vehicle was parked at the employee's residence.

Among the items Kast said were stolen from the vehicle:

• Green tactical vest with helmet.
• Portable police radio.
• Gas mask.
• Black semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle with optic.
• Rifle and pistol magazines with ammunition.
• Medic kit.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Salem Police Department Tips Line at 503-588-8477 or submit their tip by texting TIPMCSO or 847411 with the tip information.

“It is humbling to share about incidents such as this, however, we are absolutely committed to being transparent with our community and engaging their assistance by soliciting tips that may help us recover the stolen equipment," Kast said in the statement. "We will be conducting an internal review of the incident to determine if there were violations of policy or procedures.”

Virginia Barreda is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at 503-399-6657 or at vbarreda@statesmanjournal.com Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2