Farmington Officials Authorize Public Safety Weapons Purchase Plan

A new program within the department now allows officers to own the guns they carry every day. 

City council members on Monday authorized the purchase of 11 Yankee Arms AR-15 rifles, at a cost of $14,300. Public Safety Director Bob Schulz explained that officers, through a payroll deduction, will pay for all but $1 of the cost of the rifles. 

The gun will remain the city's property, City Manager Vince Pastue explained; when the officer retires or leaves, he or she will have the option of purchasing the rifle for $1. 

Eleven officers have committed to the program, Schulz said, and based on the purchase price, the city will recover all but $11 of the cost by the end of the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

He also noted there's a national move away from shotguns, which scatter multiple pellets with a single shot. The new rifles fire a single projectile and have a longer range, he said. 

"The AR-15 is the platform most law enforcement agencies are going to," he said. Owning the gun, Schulz believes, will improve an officer's confidence. 

"The other benefit is that's their rifle, they'll maintain it, and I think the care for the weapons will be greater," he added. 

"I just hope they're only fired on the gun range," council member Bill Galvin commented. 

Council members also approved the purchase of 24 Glock pistols, at a cost of $11,256, to replace weapons that have been used past their normal 10-year lifespan.