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Show A-5 The Park Record Tues/Wed/Thur, December 28-30, 2004 CITY BEAT CITY EDITOR: Jay Hamburger 649-9014 extl11 citynews@parkrecord.com 7OO &€ist2iOO Jbut/v to- Firepower rests with Sheriff's Office Some P.C. officers complain they don't have the necessary weapons By JAY HAMBURGER Of the Record staff No way, says Sheriff Dave Edmunds when asked if criminals will ever have more firepower than his deputies. The Summit County Sheriff's Office, led by Edmunds for two years, arms its deputies with multiple weapons, both lethal and those meant to stop a perpetrator but not kill him. "I have committed to my deputies that I will not allow them, as their sheriff, to be outgunned by the bad guys," said Edmunds, who typically carries a pistol and has an assault rifle in his vehicle. But at the Park City Police Department, which is not armed as well as the Sheriff's Office, a few officers have lodged complaints about their weapons, saying that the pistol they are issued is not enough. In a recent non-scientific survey of the Police Department conducted by the local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, there were questions raised about whether city cops are armed as they should be. Police Chief Lloyd Evans says that his officers have access to more powerful weapons but few check the bigger guns out. He also said the Police Department for years has displayed a "more subdued" manner of operating, including not frequently bringing the bigger guns on patrols. He said former Police Chief Frank Bell, who served in the 1980s and 1990s, made that decision. "A decision was made long ago by Chief Bell not to mount shotguns in that manner." Evans said, adding, "That's not the image Chief Bell and the City Council at the time wanted to portray." Park City officers carry as their duty weapon a .40-caliber Glock pistol, which is a semi-automatic weapon. They are armed with about 50 rounds of ammunition. Evans said the department has used the Glocks for more than a decade and that the guns have "a high success rate inaccuracy." "It^s a recognized industry standard. It's an easily operated weapon," Evans said. Evans said Park City officers for Shemi&e&^Jot* aU years have had access to shotguns and what are known as long rifles. He said the Police Department owns the more powerful weapons but would not say where they are stored. He said officers are required to check out the weapons but they are only requested "rarely." Evans said officers have indicated to him that they are concerned about properly securing the weapons in their vehicles. In the Fraternal Order of Police survey, which was returned by about half of the full-time members of the department, more of the - officers said they were adequately equipped to perform their duties than said they were not. It was a broad question that drew comments other than those about weapons. In the survey, 47 percent said they strongly or slightly agree that they are adequately equipped and 41 percent said they were not. Some of the officers made anonymous statements about the weapons. Several mentioned that they would prefer that they had shotguns in their vehicle. One writes that the department has shotguns but they "remain locked in a safe at the office" " . . . We have shotguns that we cant use. We should be looking into shotguns or patrol rifles for every one," one officer wrote, also indicating that he was essentially equipped adequately for his duties. Another fears that a tragedy will occur before the Police Department makes changes in weapons. "Officer safety is not a priority for this department. We are not a bunch of 'jack-booted thugs' that will pull equipment out all the time. But when we need it, it should be readily available. I feel it is going to take an officer getting killed before anything happens!" an officer wrote. The police chief argues that his department infrequently needs more powerful weapons that the pistols. He said budget constraints are limiting as well. Evans said it could cost approximately $20,000 to outfit each vehicle with a shotgun. To his recollection, since 1978, when Evans joined the force, only once h,as,a police officer fired at a suspect. In 2002, officer Nick t/v ffold and SKalinum Coim: see us at our new location iiiicr lucnly years in Trolley Square Gold and Pkitimini Jewelry Kepiiirs Fine Wutch Repairs liviale ifcV;ilu;iimi^ and Services Insurance'Appraisals and Replacement 1 1 GRAYSON WEST1'PARK RECORD Sheriff Dave Edmunds displays one of his department's M-16 assault rifles. The Sheriff's Office's firepower beats that of the Park City Police Department, which recently was criticized by a few officers for what they saw as a lack of equipment. Kingery fired three rounds at a suspected bank robber after a holdup at Frontier Bank. Kingery missed with each shot but the suspect gave up. "We have found over the years that the need for that resource has been limited," Evans said about more powerful weapons. Officers, though, are sometimes called to put down injured animals with their guns. Evans said his officers train using shotguns but training is not offered on rifles. He said the Police Department sometimes relies on the Sheriff's Office for help with cases in which a weapon may be involved, such as serving arrest warrants. At the sheriff's office, Edmunds arms each of his deputies with shotguns, assault rifles and pistols. Half also have pepper-ball guns meant to stop a suspect and the rest will receive the non-lethal weapons by February, he said. "We give them the tools to do their job. When you go up in a scene, you dont know what you're going into," Edmunds said. The Sheriff's Office, he said, purchases the assault rifles, which can be automatic or semi-automatic, from the military and he said they cost less than $50 each. Edmunds said he has heard complaints regarding the Park City weapons from some officers who have switched departments. Edmunds was a Park City officer before winning election as the sheriff but declined to discuss his opinion about the Police Department's weapons. "I was a street cop and firmly believe if you're going to do a job, you need the tools," he said, referring to the weapons employed by the Sheriff's Office. "These are the tools." FINE ! 1 > 1 ! 1 m 1 1 1 IMPORTED ANTIQUES HANDMADE FURNITURE UNIQUE HOME DECOR C. G. .SPARKS F U R N I T U R E W I T H S O U L U5U S. 5 0 0 W. 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