The Carlsbad Police Department needs more room to store guns, evidence and other property, including about 700 firearms, an internal audit shows.

The department keeps guns in secure storage for a variety of reasons, said Amy Ventetuolo, the city’s communication and engagement director, in response to questions about the audit.

Handguns, rifles, and shotguns are often held in connection with criminal investigations, Vententulo said in an email Wednesday. Some are found abandoned and taken for safekeeping. Others are acquired by court orders in personal disputes.

Police also store a lot more than firearms. Evidence can include paperwork, DNA samples, drugs, electronics, clothing, chemicals, backpacks, bicycles, furniture, vehicles and more.

Every item must be labeled, recorded and tracked. Some things, such as biological samples, require temperature controls or other special conditions.

“The amount of evidence being collected continues to increase,” states a report prepared by the city’s internal audit manager Toufic Tabshouri. “ The Police Department has been able to secure additional, temporary storage space to cope with this increase.”

“While most of the growth is unavoidable, a portion of it is attributable to firearms that are being temporarily held and stored by the Police Department for gun owners with pending legal matters.” he said in a report presented last week to the Carlsbad City Council.

Legislative changes contribute to the shortage of space, he said.

Certain types of evidence – particularly biological or forensic materials – must be kept for longer periods, sometimes extending to decades in serious felony cases, Tabshouri said. Also, laws related to firearm relinquishment, digital evidence, or victims’ rights can increase the number of items taken into custody and impose stricter documentation and retention requirements.

Most law enforcement agencies store firearms, but policies vary for how long they may keep them.

“Firearms connected to investigations or court proceedings are retained as long as necessary, while those held for safekeeping or as found property are managed in accordance with California law and department procedures,” Ventetuolo said.

“Once all legal requirements are met and an individual is eligible, the department works to facilitate the firearm’s lawful return,” she said.

Oceanside, Carlsbad’s northern neighbor, also is running out of room.

“We currently have approximately 1,000 firearms being held in our evidence facility,” said Oceanside police Capt. Nick Nuñez.

“Of those, approximately 700 are being held as evidence,” Nuñez said. “The remaining 300 are being held for safekeeping as found property or have been surrendered for destruction. Unfortunately, our storage areas for firearms and narcotics are reaching capacity.”

Oceanside plans to build a new, larger police headquarters that could open as soon as the fall of 2029.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, which provides services in several cities along with unincorporated areas, stores about 7,200 firearms, a spokesperson said.

“Space within our armory is limited, and we continue to see a steady intake of firearms on a regular basis,” the spokesperson said in an email. “To accommodate ongoing volume, we’ve maximized available storage and monitor capacity closely.”

Other law enforcement agencies in the county said they have ample space for now.

“We currently have 789 firearms in our custody,” said Lt. Nick Sprecco at the El Cajon Police Department. “We also have sufficient storage.”

Chula Vista police have more than 2,000 firearms in storage, a department official said.

“ The Chula Vista Police Department routinely and lawfully disposes of evidence to ensure the department maintains sufficient storage capacity,” states an email.

The San Diego Police Department is “not experiencing those issues,” a spokesperson there said.

Large items taken as evidence can require significant space.

“While many evidence items are small and standardized — such as narcotics, documents, or small personal property, some cases involve the seizure of vehicles, furniture, machinery, or other oversized items,” states the Carlsbad auditor’s report.

“For example, a single major investigation could result in the impoundment of multiple vehicles or the need to store large items such as couches, safes, or equipment associated with a crime scene,” it states.

Carlsbad police have been running out of room for years and outlined their needs in a 2022 memo to city officials. It recommended using temporary space in other city departments with adequate security, climate controls and network cabling, and that suggestion was implemented.

As a long-term solution, the department expects to obtain space in an office building and warehouses the city plans to build on 8.44 acres along Orion Way, near the safety training center and police station.

The proposed Orion Center is in the design phase, with an updated application under city review, Ventetuolo said. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2027 and expected take 14 to 18 months to complete.

“The project includes approximately 45,592 square feet of enclosed space across multiple buildings,” she said. “This includes approximately 8,800 square feet for a police evidence and storage building. When this facility opens, police will continue to maintain approximately 1,823 square feet of storage at the current facility.”

Guns stored by police for people under restraining orders have fewer controls that those kept as evidence. The Carlsbad audit suggests that one way to reduce the number of guns could be to charge those owners a fee.

It also notes that the tactic could have a downside, such as making it more difficult to dispose of items when an owner is reluctant to pay. None of the agencies contacted collects a fee for storing firearms.

California has nine different types of restraining and protective orders that may require firearms to be relinquished. When that happens, the owners have few options.

“When faced with a legal obligation to surrender firearms, gun owners have a very limited amount of time to decide whether to sell or store their firearms,” the Carlsbad report states. “Selling the firearms is often not the preferred option, as some gun owners are attached to their firearms for sentimental or other reasons.

“Furthermore, the sale will very likely be made at a loss for the gun owner because it will have to be sold to a firearms dealer; the short timeframe for selling a gun does not permit enough time to find a private buyer.”

The Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously to accept the report.

“It’s a way we can catch little loopholes and snags, and hopefully not any really big ones,” said Councilmember Teresa Acosta.

The report also recommended the city create better controls for handling the cash in a “buy fund” that the Police Department’s vice unit uses for drug deals. Typically, it’s what’s called “flash money” that detectives show when arresting drug dealers.

While there have been no problems with the money, the current accounting procedures are “impractical,” the auditor said.

He recommended additional controls such as preparing an annual financial report on the buy fund and requiring one unannounced cash count each year.

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