[November 22, 2008] Shooting range completion set for 2009 Tweet Nov 22, 2008 (The Daily Republic - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The goals and proposals set forth in past five-year plans for the Mitchell Department of Public Safety generally are being met, but the department still is without a shooting range. Chief of Public Safety Lyndon Overweg is patiently waiting, and it appears a new range will be completed sometime in 2009. A review of the department's five-year plan from 2007 shows that most of the department's recent goals have been achieved, ranging from new vehicles to upgraded law enforcement equipment such as Tasers, vests, mapping units and video cameras. The city's lack of an outdoor shooting range -- at which officers could take their qualifications tests -- has not been met, although Overweg is optimistic for at least the near future. In the 2007 five-year plan, the shooting range wasn't scheduled for completion until 2011. At present, law enforcement officers practice at an indoor shooting range and travel to other cities that host necessary firearms qualifications. Completion of a shooting range in Mitchell would benefit local officers, as well as taxpayers who pay to send officers to testing sites. State law requires that officers must be efficient and qualified in the use of firearms once a year, Overweg said, but he likes to have the officers do quarterly testing to maintain familiarity with firearms. "We like to have them (officers) shoot in different environments. If they practice strictly in a controlled environment all the time, it is not realistic. Statewide, we don't have too many officers involved in shootings but when it does happen, we want to have officers proficient in using the firearms," Overweg said. The police department lost its outdoor shooting range in the spring of 2006, when the landowner decided not to renew the lease at the site, located north of Mitchell. According to the city's 2009 approved budget, the shooting range has been allocated $20,000 for next year. Total cost of the project is expected to be around $30,000 to $50,000, said Overweg. All but one of the Department of Public Safety goals for 2007 and 2008 have been approved for funding by the City Council, except for the first phase of the shooting range. Among the approved items are computers and computer hardware, a radar unit and new vehicles to replace high-mileage units. A night vision set, to allow officers to see in the dark, was not purchased in 2007. Overweg said the current sets are still operational. In 2007, two vehicles were replaced, which cost the city $51,950. Also, one new radar unit was purchased, as well as video cameras for patrol cars and computer hardware. "The five-year plan is only a guide we have to go by and we have to go by what was actually approved by the (City) Council," said Overweg. "The council has been very good to get along with and they are always very concerned with public safety. They know it's these things that greatly affect citizens and they always want to make sure that we have what's needed to effectively get the job done," Overweg said. The total 2009 police department budget approved by the council comes to a total of $2.6 million. This includes salaries for all officers -- regular and overtime pay -- along with sick/vacation pay, insurance and all other requirements of running the police department. To see more of The Daily Republic, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mitchellrepublic.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]