M16 assault rifles will now be kept under lock and key. Officers who handle the rifles will now have to put them in their assigned lockers at the end of their shift.

The change is a direct result of the theft of an M-16 assault weapon coming up missing on Oct. 21.

In an emergency situation, officers will have to go back to the station to get the weapons but Lt. Tom Mitchell said he thinks the benefits outweigh the risks.

There was still no word on a missing pistol stolen from an Ohio County Sheriff's deputy.