Six months after a city audit found gaps in how the Dallas Police Department tracks its guns, ammunition, and equipment, officials say they’re making progress but City Council members question whether it’s happening fast enough.
A September 2025 audit found that between 2021 and 2023, the Dallas Police Department struggled to account for all its rifles, properly manage a stockpile of nearly 15,000 cases of ammunition and relied on outdated systems to track weapons. Auditors discovered the department couldn’t immediately locate two of its 491 rifles and found record keeping errors for 58 others, including incorrect serial numbers, delayed transfer records and assignment updates.
They also found that some divisions weren’t following a 2021 policy requiring firearms to be secured when officers are placed on administrative leave. The audit warned that weak record-keeping and oversight could threaten public safety and erode trust in the department.
During a Finance Committee meeting Tuesday, police Lt. Scott Corkery said all missing rifles have been accounted for and that a new digital tracking system launched in January is already processing thousands of forms. But the system is still being refined, he said, and full implementation isn’t expected until 2027.
“Are we perfect? No,” Corkery said. “But we’re still working on making sure that we are.”
But the 2027 timeline drew criticism from council members. Council member Chad West, who chairs the committee, compared the pace to military standards, where losing a weapon is a career-ending offense. He stressed that DPD, as the city’s largest funded department, should move faster to address the issues.
“For me on this audit, we’ve got to do better than this, and it’s got to be quicker,” West said. “I think 2027 is too late.”
West suggested the committee receive an updated briefing in November or December on the department’s progress.
Corkery explained that the department is transitioning to a digital system for purchase requests, forms, and training records. But some units still rely on paper logs or spreadsheets, he said, and expanding the digital system to all police units will require additional funding and software. He said 2027 is a realistic deadline the department can meet.
The city audit found poor communication between units responsible for purchasing, receiving, and tracking firearms and equipment. Different units operated independently, leading to confusion and errors, the audit found. Many processes relied on manual systems, like paper records or spreadsheets, with no unified tracking system. Corkery mentioned during the committee meeting that some stations used an outdated computer program created by an officer years ago.
Police officials on Tuesday said the department is making other changes, including: