Sheriff's Sniper, Rifle Range Complete In Paulding

DALLAS, GA — Paulding County's sheriff's deputies have a new place to hone their skills, thanks, in part, to donations from businesses and individuals in the community.

A new sniper and rifle-training range has been completed at the sheriff's office training facility on Dallas Industrial Drive in Dallas.

The facility opened in 2014 and, according to sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Ashley Henson, a sniper and rifle range had been in the county's long-range plans, but didn't have a specific completion date set.

But thanks to some extra work by sheriff's office employees and community volunteers, the range is now a reality. The range includes a tower that allows shooters to practice taking shots at targets either 100 or 200 yards away. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app)

According to the sheriff's office, the following individuals and companies either donated time, services or money or gave the office services and materials at discounted prices:

• Carlton Rakestraw & Associates Surveyors/Planners
• David McKenzie and Chaplain Joey Meeks
• Paulding County Department of Transportation
• Crook Drafting Services, Inc.
• Ranburne Steel Fabrication
• Greystone Power
• Pizza Shack
• Martin General Contracting, Inc.
• Brundage and Bone
• Dallas Metal Products, Inc.

"Without the support of our community partners, we would never be able to do the job that we do every day," Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said. "In my opinion, Paulding County has the greatest community support in the state of Georgia. We are forever indebted to all of those who support us so diligently."

The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Training Center is charged with training all of the employees at the sheriff’s office. It also provides training for other agencies across metro Atlanta.

Photos courtesy Paulding County Sheriff's Office