Greenwich Police Department Unveils Improved Shooting Range

GREENWICH, CT — After 35 years and over one million practice rounds fired, the Greenwich Police Department finally has a new and improved shooting range.

The Department unveiled the renovated range, located at 451 Steamboat Road, during a brief ceremony on Monday. About 50 people from the community and the department gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication of a training classroom to former Greenwich police officer, the late Lt. James Fahy.

The old range, which first opened in 1986, had fallen into disrepair. It became unsafe to fire into the backstop because of the damage from so many rounds, and there was little to no ventilation. Now after an $850,000 overhaul, the range is state-of-the-art and suited for the 21st century.

"This is going to make Greenwich safer because the officers will have excellent training," said GPD Police Chief James Heavey. The facility will also offer an area to apply de-escalation skills and other tactics in efforts to avoid the use of deadly force.

Range Officer Chris Girard went through the improvements of the 25-yard range before the official ribbon cutting. In-service training starts at 20 yards, and most officer-involved shootings occur at around seven yards.

"A lot of agencies don't have that [size range]," Girard said. "If you can train further, train harder and prepare for any event, that's a good thing."

A new lighting system was installed to simulate any scenario officers might encounter.

"A lot of officer-involved shootings occur in low light. We have ways to dim the lights, have no light, a lot of light, whatever conditions we want,' Girard explained. "We can also put on police red and blue strobe lights which would give stimulus to an officer and simulate conditions on the street if he or she had to deal with something at night."

Targets can now edge and move, with running speeds and a walking pace, and can also simulate "shoot/no-shoot" targets to help with critical decision making in stressful situations.

The backstop consists of chopped up tires, and rounds will not penetrate and exit the building. The room was also soundproofed, so when officers are training at night, there won't be loud gunfire heard in the vicinity.

The ventilation system was also improved, as there is now more air circulation within the range.

While the building underwent renovation over the past year, officers were using Stamford's facility, as well as the Police Academy range in Meriden. Now that officers can train in Greenwich again, Heavey said that makes a world of difference.

"Part of the challenge is officers have training while they're on duty. If they're working here and an emergency happens, they can reactivate themselves as patrol officers to go right back on the road," he said. "If we were in Stamford or up at the Academy, the officers would be out of service. So it's really important for us to have our own facility."

Officers are currently getting re-certified on their patrol rifles at an outdoor range in Wallingford. After that, the range will open up for pistol qualifications in mid-June. The department currently has 152 full-time officers, and 30 special officers.

The James Fahy Training Classroom

After the ribbon-cutting, everyone shuffled over to a nearby classroom which will be used to train officers on all types of weapons.

"We were able to modernize the classroom so officers could have a comfortable place to train," Heavey said.

The classroom was dedicated to former GPD Police Officer, Lt. James Fahy, for his bravery and courage during a shootout in 1974.

On Sept. 24 of that year, three men committed a robbery in town. A Connecticut State Trooper heard the call and spotted the fleeing vehicle traveling south on I-95 near Exit 3. The State Police requested assistance and Fahy responded.

Fahy arrived on scene and exited his vehicle, and found himself facing one of the men pointing a rifle at him. The man did not drop his weapon, and instead told Fahy twice to drop his.

Fahy's training kicked in. He fired his duty-issued .38 revolver and was able to prevent all three suspects from causing harm to himself and the State Trooper who was with him.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said it was only right to name the training classroom after Fahy.

"Jimmy Fahy was a guy most of us knew for all of our lives. It's not so much what he did as a police officer for many years, it's what he did after. He still volunteered. He was always around, always had a smiling face and was a good guy. There's not a more appropriate person to name this after than Jimmy Fahy, someone who means a lot to all of us," Camillo said.

Fahy's wife, Mary-Ellen, and sister-in-law, Penny Monahan, were in attendance to unveil the medals Fahy recieved for his bravery, as well as a framed display of his weapon.

GPD Honors Deputy Chief Mark Marino

The department also honored Deputy Chief Mark Marino, who will be retiring after 38 years of service next week. Heavey presented Marino with a certificate of retirement.

Marino served in the U.S. Army and for the U.N. Police. He came through the ranks of the GPD over a 38-year career, working mostly in the Detective Bureau and as commander of the Special Response Unit.

"The last 38 years here have been the greatest. I've had the opportunity to work with so many great people. They really have made my job so much easier because it's just been a pleasure to come to work. That's what I'll miss the most," Marino said. "To represent the town of Greenwich, to do the only thing I ever wanted to do in my life, I feel so blessed about that."

The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to discuss filling the vacancy at their meeting on Friday.