By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Planning Commission approved the Conditional Use Permit for the sheriff's office shooting range on Thursday. Rangemaster Sgt. Dustin Vance explains that the department plans many types of training for the new facility.
"We'll have annual training out there for all of our department," Vance said. "The courses will include everything, including basic handgun, rifle, SWAT schools and open range days. The Sheriff's Office provides ammunition and an instructor to all of our employees twice a month for them to come out on their own time where we can kind of give them one-on-one training to make sure they are proficient when they are out in the public. We also have snipers on our team. I've also been talking to the Hutchinson Correctional Facility who has snipers. They don't have the ability to shoot long range at their current facility, so that's something they would like to take advantage of potentially in the future. We also have a 19,000 pound armored vehicle. As part of the SWAT team with the Sheriff's Office, there's specialty types of trainings that we would have to do with that to keep everybody current and able to drive that large equipment."
The primary concern expressed by the closest in landowners is if any stray shots from the long-range shooting could impact ONEOK high-pressure lines nearby or traffic on K-96 at the 6th Avenue interchange because that interchange is a raised one. Vance said the risk of any shots escaping the range is minimal.
"I'm not going to say never, but we take a lot of care to make sure that doesn't happen," Vance said. "The people that will be shooting to the east there are not what I would classify as newer or rookie people. They are people that have a lot of experience and have been to a lot more training in order to be able to better handle a weapon, so it's not like, it's not like you're putting a brand new person out on the range and letting them shoot on that side."
The Planning Commission passed the CUP 4-0. Three members were out with illness.