I expect this kind of stuff from the major newspapers and networks but thought that my local paper was a little better than this.
Sheriff's Department gets new weapons
By Matt Clower, The Messenger
Pike County deputies Sam Mallory and Kevin Childs unleash a barrage of machine-gun fire from their position kneeling behind a patrol car, filling the air with smoke and spent cartridges.
Down the range, the “perps”, a couple of paper targets taped to plywood, are quickly peppered with holes.
On Monday morning, deputies of the Pike County Sheriff's Department spent time testing out the latest additions to their growing arsenal- 12 AR-15 assault rifles. The AR-15 is the non-military variant of the M-16, and the new weapons provide the Sheriff's Department with a powerful, accurate, long-range rifle. It has enough power to easily penetrate any barrier, even a vehicle, as the deputies demonstrated by firing through a junked-out car.
“When we got semi-automatic pistols we thought we were out of the stone age,” Firearm Instructor Henry Wentland said, recalling carrying a six-shot revolver when he started with the department.
“Things have come a long way under Sheriff (Russell) Thomas's administration,” Wentland said.
The weaponry of the Sheriff's office has changed dramatically just in the past decade.
These days, the department is armed with everything from tactical shotguns to MP5 submachine guns and more.
It's a degree of firepower deputies say they hope never to have to use, but they say such extreme weapons are needed to stay ahead of the growing arsenal of high powered weapons available to criminals.
Instructor Troy Johnson said the weapons of choice for criminals today are high powered assault weapons like the AK-47 of the SKS.
Getting these weapons can be surprisingly easy. The AK-47 for instance can be purchased legally in a semi-automatic form the deputies said. With the right know-how, the guns can then be modified to a fully automatic form they said, giving criminals a dangerous edge.
Johnson acknowledged that such weapons might not yet be common in Pike County, but he said the potential is high for such weapons to make their way here.
“If you ask me today, I'd say things might not be that bad, but I'd say the chances are high that it will get that way in the near future,” Johnson said. “I'd rather have these weapons and not need them than need them and not have them.”
The instructors said that each deputy completed a qualifying exam in order to be assigned one of the new rifles. In addition, the deputies regularly practice drills with all of the advanced weapons.
On Monday, deputies practiced a variety of scenarios with the new guns, including exiting a vehicle and firing from cover.
Johnson said the department demands a high standard of accuracy from it's deputies than even the state requires.
“The state requires a score of 70; our department requires 80,” Johnson said.
www.troymessenger.com/articles/2006/03/14/news/news02.txt