Report 2013-103 Recommendation 5 Responses

Report 2013-103: Armed Persons With Mental Illness: Insufficient Outreach From the Department of Justice and Poor Reporting From Superior Courts Limit the Identification of Armed Persons With Mental Illness (Release Date: October 2013)

Recommendation #5 To: Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles

To ensure that it is reporting all court determinations that prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm, by December 31, 2013, Los Angeles Court's Criminal Justice Center should revise its court procedures regarding these determinations so that court
administrative staff are notified when a finding related to mental competency occurs.

6-Month Agency Response

On March 7, 2014, the court approved a court-wide Criminal Policy and Procedure entitled Firearm Prohibition/Firearm Prohibition Release Report (Mental Health Issues: Reporting to the Department of Justice, Bureau of Firearms). This signed and approved policy was disseminated to all criminal locations and staff via e-mail on March 27, 2014. A copy is also posted on the court's Criminal intranet site for staff to refer to as well.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

This policy provides specific instructions for court locations, including its Criminal Justice Center, to follow in order to report firearm prohibitions to the Department of Justice.

60-Day Agency Response

A directive was issued to all Criminal court locations within the Los Angeles County Superior Court on October 15, 2013 to inform staff of the required reporting procedures whenever a finding related to mental competency occurs. The court is also in the process of revising its policy and procedure on Firearm Prohibition Orders. This revised procedure will be addressed by the court's Criminal Litigation Committee at its next meeting on January 15, 2014. A finalized procedure will be approved, signed and in place prior to March 31, 2014.

Staff are also using the most recent revision (April 2013) of the California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms form entitled Superior Court Report of Firearm Prohibition/Release.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Partially Implemented

All Recommendations in 2013-103

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.