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New police range fires off
By Stephanie Flemmons, Staff Writer
Despite logistical concerns, the Plano Police Department’s new gun range is ready for fire.
Concerns about the range were raised when leaders of the Plano Independent School District approved to build a new middle school just 1,500 feet away.
But, Rick McDonald, Plano Police public information officer said the new range has an extensive baffle system with ballistic metal that supports it to keep debris from leaving the range.
McDonald said since the old range was built in 1991, and there have never been any stray bullets or close calls.
“It’s still an outdoor range, but it’s not open to the public,” he said. “Officers have already gone through proficiency drills before they can come here.”
Behind the painted plywood walls is armored plating for extra protection.
The $2.7 million range now allows both Plano and Richardson officers to receive the full realm of training not offered previously.
“We can now do all of our qualifications at one place,” McDonald said. “In the past we had to go off-site.”
The new range allows both pistol and rifle rounds, which will also allow more effective training.
“The new range will allow more officers to get qualified quicker,” McDonald said. “Officers are mandated to go through qualification training twice a year for handguns and once a year for rifles. We have so many officers we need more space.”
The new range is equipped with 12 moving targets controlled by an air compressor, which move left to right and right to left to allow for more realistic training.
“This will make it much safer,” McDonald said. “At the new location the shooter does not have to move their own target. Previously, officers have literally had to walk to their targets and physically move them. Moving targets are harder to hit and will give us better training.”
The new range was also built of concrete as opposed to gravel, which will allow officers to conduct training inside their vehicle.
The range is equipped with lights to allow both daytime and nighttime training.
As for the previous range, McDonald believes it will stay put.
“We may convert it to a training location,” he said.
Contact Stephanie Flemmons at sflemmons@acnpapers.com
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