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M-16 rifle goes missing from Melbourne Police Department

MELBOURNE, Fla. — In Brevard County, the Melbourne Police Department has been forced to file its own missing property report after an M-16 rifle went missing.

The rifle was given to the department under a federal program, but now it's nowhere to be found. Police said they realized the M-16 was gone during their annual inventory check in February.

"I know people will wonder, how do you misplace an M-16?" said Sgt. Sheridan Shelley. "Well, our inventory system, since this incident, is being reviewed and changed."

That could mean more than annual inventory checks of equipment at the department, officials said.

Melbourne police are also taking a closer look at who is allowed into secure areas.

The missing M-16 was last seen in a SWAT locker.

"The unfortunate thing is narrowing down an exact time or location when this firearm may have gone missing," said Sheridan. "It's very difficult."

While there's no evidence the rifle was stolen, it still hasn't turned up.  The department sent a report to the Federal Law Enforcement Support Office, which provided the weapon, along with 64 others.

The M-16 was also entered into a federal data base for stolen and missing property, should it turn up outside of the department.