UPDATE: Are our Cops Low on Ammo?
September 6th, 2007 by josh farley |
Law enforcement agencies around the country are finding themselves low on ammo, and at least one local department is finding itself scurrying for bullets.
“We’re in the crunch just like everybody else,” said Greg Rawlins, Bremerton Police lieutenant.
The Associated Press wrote a story dated August 25 chronicling the use of ammunition by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan — coupled with the rising price of metals that make the bullets — is making ammo more expensive and less easy to get.
Locally, Rawlins said they’re looking at an 8-10 month wait for
.223 ammo, and a 4-6 month wait for hollow point ammo.
Rawlins says the department has enough to last through July 2008, but after that, it’s going to be tricky.
I am checking with other local departments to see if they’re finding similar problems.
UPDATE: According to Bainbridge Island Deputy Police Chief Mark Duncan, inventories for ammo on the island aren’t in a “crisis,” rather its simply harder to get these days.
“We have noticed the squeeze, but it has not affected our duty ammunition,” Duncan said, adding they have had to make adjustments to training.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Al Townsend, Port Orchard Chief of Police, echoed Duncan’s concerns in an e-mail to me:
Yes, we actually are having a hell of a time getting some. Our regular supplier quit selling ammo. We were able to order some from a company in the Mount Vernon area and they had handgun ammunition but no rifle ammunition. They are trying to get us some now. We are restricting some of our training and open practice shooting times until we know we have rec’d the new ammo.
And, I also heard from Dean Byrd, chief deputy at the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, who told me they too are having trouble.
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September 9th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
….this has to do with firearms though not ammunition shortage.
One of the blurbs in today’s paper mentioned that a prior reserve officer was robbed of his guns…one of which was an assault riffle.
Is it standard practice to issue, or let reserves buy, assault riffles for use in the field?
Were the guns locked up and out of sight?
Sharon O’Hara
September 14th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Sharon, I didn’t see anywhere that the “former reserve” ever used his assault rifle in the field (if by that you mean on duty.)
And, since when did “standard practice” have to do with anything? Criminals are out there using assault rifles against people and I’m certain there was no “standard practice” for most, if not all, of them to attain their guns. Unless, by “standard practice” we mean stealing them from someone else or buying them on the street from someone else who stole them.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Sorry I wasn’t more clear.
I did not say, nor imply the former reserve ever used the assault rifle, nor do I care.
I wondered if reserves were trained to use and did use assault rifles on duty?
You have no reason to be defensive.
Sharon O’Hara
September 24th, 2007 at 4:05 am
Sharon, If it weren’t for you, who would be blogging? You are the one we all know best! You always give us food for thought.
I was actually trying to be critical, not defensive. I will answer questions if I think I know the answers, and I will try to determine if the words we’re using mean the same things. Codykins
September 24th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Lori …you have a point.
I don’t mind saying that blogging has brought one surprise after another…
So far, the few people responding to my questions here seem to be defensive… and the answers seem to indicate that I’m criticizing law enforcement.
Let me ask a question about ammunition …
How long are bullets viable before they are ‘out of date’ and undependable?
One year, two years, forever?
How often are safety firing classes scheduled for the public?
… Sharon O’Hara
October 1st, 2007 at 3:59 am
Sharon, I really don’t know how long bullets are good for, especially if they are stored well, but I can find out. I am aware that agencies usually trade out the ammo that the officers carry at least once per year. Also, I couldn’t tell you how often there are safety classes scheduled for the public – as far as I know, law enforcement agencies don’t do that, but I could be wrong. There are clubs and shooting ranges that provide that training to the public.
I’ll get back to you about the life of ammo.
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Thanks Lori.
My guess is bullets (depending on who made them) are probably good for many years…
I think law enforcement will evolve and become even more pro community action. Most people looking for firing lessons tend to call law enforcement agencies – not gun clubs for gun advice and scheduling for shooting lessons.
If a person looks for motor home driving classes, who better to call than the state patrol since they are the ones to license truck drivers?
If law enforcement officers are required to live within their district to be most effective …how does BI subsidize housing for their police officers?
Why isn’t the Sheriff’s Office located in the middle of the county… Silverdale … in order to serve the county in a timely manner?
Sharon O’Hara
October 5th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Sharon-here’s some answers:
1. Bullets that haven’t been exposed to the elements can last for years, although law enforcement officers often switch them out every 8-9 months or so.
2. Law enforcement agencies (in our county at least) don’t provide citizens with firearms safety training. Rather, they direct citizens to gun clubs.
3. Law enforcement officers are not necessarily required to live within their district. Those agencies that provide take home cars, like the sheriff’s office, do require the deputies to live in the county if they want to take their patrol cars home. Otherwise, they must leave their patrol car at the office and drive their personal car home.
Bainbridge officers don’t have to live on Bainbridge, nor does the city subsidize housing for the officers. In fact, there are very few Bainbridge Island officers who can actually afford to live there! (There are Seattle PD officers who live on Bainbridge though.) As a matter of fact, officers who do live in the area they patrol are not supposed to take enforcement action in their own neighborhoods except in case of emergency, subject to individual department policy.
4. The main sheriff’s office is located in Port Orchard, as that is the county seat. There is a Sheriff’s office located in Silverdale, the central office; as well as one in Kingston, the north office. Deputies do not all sit at the main, or south, office waiting for calls. The deputies are each assigned a designated area, normally 3 or 4 cars south, 3 or 4 central and 2 north. There are also cars who are assigned to roam the county and traffic units. The south cars predominately use the south office for reports, central cars the central office and so on. Mainly, deputies are in their cars on patrol unless they are writing reports, handling phone call details or completing other duties requiring an office setting. That way, they can stay near their designated area for a faster response.
Hope that helps!
October 9th, 2007 at 10:49 am
Thank you, KR.
Just as a burglar prefers to rob homes without lights blazing…I would think seeing police cars parked in neighborhoods would help curtail crime…enough to make it worthwhile for communities such as BI to subsidize their police officers enough for them to either buy or rent a BI home.
I understand that PO is the county seat and jail.
Does that mean when a BI officer arrests someone, they may do their paperwork close to home, but what do they do with the prisoner?
If the officer has to drive the prisoner all the way to PO for processing and the drive one way takes 50 minutes, that officer is unavailable to BI citizens at least two hours.
Thank for good communication… the better a community understands the law enforcement officer’s job, the more beneficial a partnership will be between the officer and community.
…or so it seems,
Sharon O’Hara
–
Sharon,
The answer is yes — Bainbridge Island Police must haul an arrestee all the way to Port Orchard. However, there have been a few (very rare) cases in which the Bainbridge Island Police boat has been on the water and subjects have been transported by boat (which is faster).
October 11th, 2007 at 12:13 am
Hi Sharon,
One of the range guys I spoke to said ammo can last up to 50 years if it’s kept in a dry place.
KR had great answers. Thanks KR.
The sheriff’s office has their resources (deputies) spread out so they can be where they are needed and respond as quickly as possible. Some days the configuration is a little different than other days. That can depend on staffing or a peak in criminal activity in a certain area, for instance.
The Patrol Operations Headquarters are in Silverdale, but like KR wrote, there are outlying precincts so that deputies can stay close to their assigned areas to write reports and such.
As for LE agencies teaching gun classes, there would have to be money provided from someone else’s budget to do that, and, not being a lawyer, I don’t know what kind of liability issues would be involved.
The sheriff’s office holds a citizens academy once per year, Sharon. Have you attended yet? You might call the sheriff’s office at 360-337-7101 and talk to Public Relations Officer Scott Wilson, who generally coordinates the event. He can give you information on the next one. Codykins
October 11th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Moving prisoners by water makes economic sense if its faster and cheaper…great idea. Otherwise it seems a shame to waste a trained officer on duty as a transport driver.
I’ve never heard of a citizens academy, Codykins … what does it teach?
Thanks for the dialog…didn’t know a transfer boat was occasionally available … how much faster is it than driving?
If its significant, a boat should be available most of the time…especially since we have great waterways.
Maybe one or several of the BI residents would volunteer their boat for occasional police work?
Sharon O’Hara