Perhaps the word confiscate was a bit harsh. I probably should have used the word "secured". The good news is that I NOW HAVE THIS FIREARM IN CUSTODY AS OF TODAY.
I also must add here that I am glad that the local police department secured this pistol before any opportunist took it upon themselves to get too curious. There have been several maintenance folks in and out of his apartment since his passing. If this had not been small town where I had grown up with several of the officers on the force, this may have drawn out over years. I made a call and got answers, got hold of the right person that made it right for me. Of course, I still had to sign for it and provide identification, but generally speaking it was handled as possible evidence until it was clear that it was not culprit. Had it been, and had there been foul play....I would be up in arms had this been handled any other way. Especially if it had come up missing.
I respect law enforcement, but I always question authority. In this case, I asked if this firearm had never been requested, what would have happened to it? The answer was that there is a backlog of similiar type "evidence" that backlogs to 1977, and eventually it would have been returned after maybe 4 or 5 years, pending the result of finding a family member after all that time. Remember, there was no receipt left at the scene. This is the only complaint that I have. If I had never inquired, it would have probably been destroyed. What if this was a priceless antique? It wasn't, but to me it is priceless since it was my brothers. Thank you all for your well wishes. I am satisfied otherwise that the officer secured this firearm in the interest of safety and "blind" evidence. He was doing his job and I respect that.
