Police Look to Mitigate Shooting Range Noise

Police officials say they will make new efforts to reduce noise from the department's shooting range following public discussion about noise complaints.

"We are going to look into ways to deal with the sound, " said Police Chief and Acting Town Manager Bill Hart at Monday's Town Council meeting. "... Our hope is that while providing a benefit not just with police services but with efficacious service to the taxpayer we can also be good neighbors."

Before opening its own range, Hart said the town was paying to train officers at several area shooting ranges, often using blocks of overtime hours.

Tom Kimball, owner of the Londonderry Country Club, brought the noise complaint before the Town Council last month. He said gunshots from the police shooting range and the Londonderry Fish and Game Club were disrupting his business and nearby residents.

Londonderry police Lt. Ryan Kearney said officers have been called to the area around the shooting ranges for firearm and noise complaints 29 times in three years. He said two of those complaints culminated in formal police reports, while the others were deemed unfounded or involving legal shooting activity.

On Oct. 4, members of the Town Council visited the golf club to hear the gunshots for themselves.

"In all honesty, the shots sounded pretty much like what I hear in my own backyard off Wiley Hill Road," said Council Chair John Farrell. Farrell said inclement weather on that day could have muffled some of the sounds.

But Alexander Road resident Pam O'Brien said the issue is not just the loud sounds, but also the frequency of the gunshots. She said the shooting ranges are more disruptive than jet engines from the airport.

"You can get used to that because it's an 18-second portion out of your life that you hear a plane go over," she said. "But a constant rat-a-tat-tat that actually upsets children playing in your yard is something that makes you aware that it's going on consistently."

Mark Robert, who also lives on Alexander Road, said he's noticed a big uptick in shooting activity since the police firing range was opened three years ago.

"The frequency and duration is just out of control," he told the council. "It's quadrupled over the past few years."

Hart said the police department has already taken some steps to mitigate the impact on residents. He said the range is now rarely opened to other law enforcement departments and weekend shooting has been stopped, except for a few exceptions.

He said some training has to take place in the evenings to ensure that officers are prepared to use their weapons in low lighting.

Still, Town Councilor Jim Butler said there's more to be done.

"The bottom line is the Londonderry Police Department firing range is the one that's creating probably most of the noise most of the time," he said Monday. "... I was out there Saturday afternoon and from what I could hear, the Londonderry Fish and Game part was very faint."

"I think we need to work on our range and tone it down and maybe work out a better schedule," he said. "In my opinion, I think that's in fairness to the people that live there.That firing range came after."

In addition to restricting shooting hours, others at Monday's meeting suggested physical updates to the police range, including removing paved surfaces that create echoes and building up higher berms to help absorb some sound.

Resident Roger Fillio, a firearms instructor, said he didn't want noise complaints to limit the current training practices.

"I would ask the police chief to be a good neighbor for me and not restrict any training necessary to the police department because when I call you, I want you to be ready," he said.

Members of the Londonderry Fish and Game Club also spoke in support of firing ranges.

Councilors also addressed the safety concerns about target shooting in the Musquash Conservation Area next door.

With a consensus from the board, Council Chair John Farrell asked the police department to also be proactive about informing gun owners of the shooting rules in Musquash. He suggested posting signs around the preserve.