Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny has been on the job less than a month - and already he has a serious problem with which to deal. It involves the M-16 assault rifle stolen from an off-duty police officer's vehicle. The officer had the gun in his private vehicle because he is a member of the department's SWAT team, subject to emergency calls in which delays in obtaining equipment can be dangerous.
West Virginia State Police are investigating the theft. We hope they are able to recover the weapon quickly. The M-16 is a military-style gun with enormous firepower.
In the meantime, Matheny will be involved in his own investigations. One will involve how the rifle was stolen. The other will concern policies concerning weapons used and carried by police officers.
As the chief pointed out to our reporter, "some things can't be prevented." Along with state police, Matheny will be looking into the matter. One consideration for him will be whether weapons policies need to be changed.
It may well be that Matheny needs to alter policies. He told our reporter that in some respects, those involving storage of weapons by off-duty officers are "ambiguous." Though he did not explain, ambiguity can be a dangerous thing when deadly weapons are involved.
We join Matheny in hoping fervently that the M-16 is recovered quickly. Anyone with information about it can - and should - call the Wheeling Police Department at 304-234-3781 or the Wheeling Detachment of the West Virginia State Police at 304-238-1100.
At the same time, we urge the chief to eliminate any ambiguities in weapons policies and to close any loopholes in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.