Imperial County launches firearm relinquishment program

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The Imperial County District Attorney's Office has launched a targeted firearm relinquishment program.

The program is in collaboration with the Imperial County Sheriff's Office (ICSO) and the Imperial County Superior Court of California, and is said to "improve enforcement of court-ordered firearm prohibitions and enhance community safety."

According to a press release obtained by KYMA, the partnership between the D.A.'s Office, ICSO and the Superior Court "allows for streamlined communication, better public guidance on how to properly relinquish firearms, and investigative follow-up when individuals are believed to be out of compliance."

In addition, the program is said to build on the Firearm Violence Reduction Initiative, which is a collaborative effort between the D.A.'s Office and ICSO, to "identify, prioritize, and disarm individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms."

The D.A's Office is also said to be assigning two full-time investigators to the program to ensure "attention to reviewing cases, conducting investigations, and enforcing court-ordered firearm prohibitions."

"This program strengthens our ability to enforce the law and protect victims,” said George Marquez, District Attorney for Imperial County. "By working in concert with the Imperial County Superior Court and Sheriff's Office, we're closing the gap between court orders and enforcement, which ultimately makes our community safer."

Sheriff Fred Miramontes added, "By closely working with the District Attorney and the Superior Court, we will safely remove firearms and ammunition from individuals that are prohibited from possessing firearms, thereby ensuring our communities are safer."

To learn more about the program, read the press release, written in English and Spanish, below.