SANTA ANA : Police Chief Asks to Hire Gun Examiner
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Police Chief Paul M. Walters is asking the City Council to create a job position for someone to perform ballistics tests, saying that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which has been doing the work, is backlogged.
With the creation of a firearms examiner position, the Santa Ana Police Department would quickly be able to evaluate weapons, shell casings and bullets thought to be linked to crimes, according to a city report. Quick results are critical to helping solve the crimes, and the current backlog reaches eight months, police officials said.
The firearms examiner position would be filled by a non-sworn employee, and the salary range would be $40,000 to $49,000 a year.
The city would be able to pay the salary from existing funds, according to the report.
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