(Dothan, AL)--The Dothan Police Department has it's own set of procedures for dealing with stolen weapons. The department keeps all murder weapons, but tries to return items confiscated during searches or robberies, to the original owner.

"If we find that a gun is stolen, we have to hold it until that case closes," Dothan Police Department Crime Scene Unit Investigator Becky Edwards said. "After the case closes, we try to run a trace it back to where it came from," She said.

According to police, pawn shops and individuals that sell their own weapons, make it difficult for the department to trace them. They also say if a gun can't be traced back to its original owner, or has a tampered serial code, it will be destroyed.