Police Retrieve a Pair of 'Community Guns'

Newark police Tuesday seized a small stash of weapons likely used by a group of criminals who need easy access to firearms from the street, the department said in a statement.

Detectives from the Narcotics and Gang Enforcement Unit were patrolling near the Reservoir Housing Complex around 9 pm when they saw two 9mm handguns wedged inside an opening in the concrete next to a stairway at 336 South Orange Ave. Both weapons were loaded with hollow-point bullets and one had been reported stolen in Pennsylvania in 2009.

Police refer to weapons hidden in this fashion as “community guns” because they are accessible to several people in a criminal network and are used repeatedly. Samuel DeMaio, director of the Newark Police Department, said these external caches present another hazard: they’re also accessible to young children. 

"Albeit there were no actual arrests made with these firearms, these seizures were extremely significant in our efforts to prevent and reduce violent crime in our community.We have not only removed a weapon from the arsenal of a network of criminals, but also potentially from the hands of a child. I am pleased that through the dedicated efforts of these officers we have prevented the likelihood of a tragic outcome in our community," DeMaio said.